Tom Brady has filed an attempt to protect the mark “TOM TERRIFIC”. While he filed it in hopes of blocking other individuals from making a profit off of him, he may run into an issue with the fact that Tom Seaver, a hall of fame MLB pitcher, was first associated with that nickname.
Josh Gerben was quoted by the Boston Globe discussing the potential conflict in length:
“Applicants cannot register a trademark that “may create a false connection with another person,” in this case [Tom] Seaver.
“At this stage, I think that there should be [legal] counseling to Tom [Brady] that if there’s not a very significant business” purpose for the applications, “it would make a lot of sense to withdraw them.”
Source: Andersen, Travis. “Experts: Brady company’s bid to trademark ‘Tom Terrific’ presents some challenges. Boston Globe. 06 June 2019, pB8.