The Ravens quarterback wears the same number on his playing uniform, and the driver made the number famous during his racing career. When Lamar Jackson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. clashed over the number 8, the Baltimore Star filed a trademark lawsuit against the NASCAR legend, claiming that the number 8’s stylization in the latter’s JRM 8 logo was too similar to his Era 8 collection. If the case had gone to court, the U.S. Patent Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board would have had to decide whether Dale Earnhardt Jr. could have proceeded with trademarking his number 8, but instead he graciously conceded it to Jackson.
“Through the USPTO, we have successfully secured the rights to the stylized 8 (the original form made popular in his racing career). As a result, we will be abandoning the JRM 8 that we have been using since 2019. We are eager to finish the season, which has already been a success. Lamar Jackson’s filing on ‘8’ outlines his rationale for going after NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lamar Jackson obviously took this fight for a number extremely seriously, even though it could appear trivial to others. In the filing, the Ravens quarterback provided an explanation of his reasoning. His officials indicated that he has devoted time, effort, and expense to promote the number and publicize it in reference to Lamar Jackson.
As a result, even though the number may be originating from Dale Earnhardt Jr., any customer may start to link it with the quarterback. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported the following information: The relevant purchasing public has learned to know, rely on, and recognize [Lamar Jackson’s] trademarks as very strong indicators of the source of [his] products provided in connection with his marks as a result of the significant time, effort, and money he has invested in promoting, advertising, and popularizing the number 8 in connection with his personality and fame.
Both parties will be allowed to keep using the various stylized forms of “8” that they independently promoted, though, as it appears that the entire matter has been resolved peacefully. Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Steve Young are two more well-known quarterbacks who have worn the same number. Aaron Rodgers also wore it on his jersey during his career with the Jets so that he did not have to don the number ’12’ that was retired by the organization in honor of Joe Namath.
