T-Sizzle in Legal Dispute Over Ball So Hard U.

| Jan 14, 2012 | 187 comments
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Before the Baltimore Ravens’ 23-20 victory in week nine over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Terrell Suggs announced his alma mater as, “Ball So Hard University.”

Before long, merchandise from Suggs’ mythical school surfaced, and now a legal battle has ensued over who owns “Ball So Hard University.”

Steve Kilar of The Baltimore Sun reports that Brian Bussells, a native of Maryland, applied for a trademark three days after the game for the school name and started printing shirts. Suggs was even seen at a press conference in one of those shirts. About a week and a half later, Suggs applied for the trademark and started selling products through his personal website.

Brussels was amazed to see Suggs selling the gear.

“I think Suggs started to try to sell shirts a few weeks after he knew I was selling them — so I was a little surprised,” Bussells said.

There are a number of manufactures that have started to sell ”Ball So Hard University” gear, and they’ve received cease-and-desist letters from Suggs’ camp, Team Sizzle Films Inc.

Now, Bussells and Suggs will have to wait for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to make a decision on who legally owns “Ball So Hard.” The case will depend on both the filing date and if “Ball So Hard” is a key part of Suggs’ public character.

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