A 61-year-old Alexandria actuary may very well be sitting on the trademark for the Washington NFL team’s future moniker. And yet, he doesn’t even want any money for it. He simply wants to see a name change.
Martin McCaulay has been collecting trademarks since 2014, when he first began hearing talks that the team name might change.
“A lot of people were applying for trademarks for joke names, like Washington R-word potatoes, or Washington Skins,” McCaulay said. “I applied for Washington Pigskins. My understanding is that you can’t apply for a trademark without intending to use it.”
McCaulay got right to work, ordering 100 coffee mugs emblazoned with “Washington Pigskins” and posted them online to sell. A Washington Post profile of McCaulay from 2015 detailed “his stockpile of make-believe football team memorabilia” ranging from kitchenware to clothing and foam fingers.
McCaulay said he’s applied for so many trademarks in six years that he’s lost count. A search for McCaulay’s address on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website brings up 47 trademarks, including 14 abandoned requests, dating back to May 2, 2014. His requests range from the Washington Sharks and Pandas to the Warriors, Senators, Federals, Founders, Natives, Gladiators and even the Washington Football Club.
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