Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ application to trademark the nickname Iceman is on hold after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied it because of a similarity to a footwear company’s product.
Williams got the nickname last season for his cool demeanor under pressure and immediately ran into snag with two Hall of Famers who had it first: George Gervin of basketball and Chuck Liddell of professional fighting.
The real issue, though, is that Williams applied for the trademark in sporting goods and clothing, and Oregon-based LaCrosse Footwear won a trademark for its Iceman boots in 1988.
The office wrote in a letter to Williams that, “A likelihood of confusion exists because the applied-for mark and the registered mark(s) create a confusingly similar commercial impression and the goods and/or services are closely related.”
The government also suggested an amendment to his application to use the nickname on sunglasses. Williams’ other intents stated in his application include downloadable trading cards, water bottles and a website.
LaCrosse currently sells a pair of Iceman boot liners on its website for $16, but does not list any other products with that name.
Williams still has a trademark application pending on an Iceman logo and can appeal the initial ruling against his application to trademark the nickname. He has three months to respond to the U.S.P.T.O’s notice of non-final action outlining issues with his application and potential sources of confusion with other trademarks or his case will be deemed abandoned.
“That’s an open-ended kind of thing right now,” Williams said in April. “Just trying to figure it out. Not the biggest focus right now for me, but it’s around. We’ll figure it out here.”
He also said the filing was about “knowing business and being smart” in protecting his image and preventing unlicensed sellers from profiting off his name.
If Williams eventually secures the trademark, there would be a 30-day window for Gervin, Liddell or anyone else to challenge the ruling before the Trial and Appeal Board.
Liddell registered a trademark for “Chuck The Iceman Liddell” in 2022, and Gervin did not challenge that. He has indicated, though, that he would oppose Williams trademarking Iceman.
According to U.S.P.T.O. records, Williams filed a total of four Iceman-related trademark applications March 16, and Gervin filed for a trademark of the nickname four days later. Gervin’s application is still pending.
Gervin claims use of Iceman dating to the 1970s, and his representative said this year he had errantly believed the nickname already was trademarked.
“That name is taken,” Gervin told the Sun-Times in March.
Williams has 12 applications on file for various logos, including some with a bear claw to replicate a hand gesture he’s been making since the Bears drafted him, through Caleb Williams Holdings, Inc., based in his home state of Maryland. Most of those applications are pending, and he successfully registered a CW logo for football camps last year.
He paid $3,300 to apply for Iceman, according to documents signed by his father, Carl Williams. Williams’ Chicago-based attorney Douglas Masters did not immediately respond to an inquiry from the Sun-Times.