The letters D-U-U-U-V-A-L spell trouble for any team that dares pay a visit to to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but lately the Jags have added a trademark logo after them, and the tiny "TM" spell trouble for some on the First Coast.
"To try to profit off it, it isn't right,” said Katie Dowling, skater with Jacksonville Rollergirls.
Fans have been chanting “Duval” at the team’s bouts for almost 10 years, Dowling said.
"It's something for the entire city to come together, and chant together as one, instead of one region or one team,” Dowling said.
On February 12th, the Jags tweeted an image with the ™ symbol after “Duuuval.”
“The Jaguars have not submitted an application to register the wordmark "DUUUVAL,” read a statement from the organization. “The only actions taken to date were intended to protect our ability to continue to use this specific wordmark to promote our fan base and our team in the future.”
You don’t need to submit a formal application to call Duval dibs, according to trademark attorney Ash Najafi.
"As long as you've done due diligence and you've done a trademark clearance search and you're sure no one else is using that mark, in the manner that you're using it, for the goods and services that you're using it, yes you can put a TM,” Najafi said. “That puts the public on notice that you're claiming ownership of the mark.”
The chant first became famous through radio DJ Easy E in the '90s.
Attorney John Phillips says he sent letters to the Jags asking the organization to drop the wordmark, on behalf of the DJ and the Jacksonville Rollergirls.
"It's something that belongs to the people,” Dowling said.
The Jags organization says even if we were to seek trademark registration, getting it, “would not prohibit any fan from continuing to say or use the word Duval in general."