The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American Football team that plays in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference (ACF). They play at the Paul Brown Stadium in Downtown Cincinnati when playing at home.
Paul Brown, former Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns, began planning the Bengals franchise in 1965. In 1966 the Riverfront Stadium was approved by Cincinnati’s city council.
Brown had established the NFL franchise due to an impending merger of the NGL and AFL (scheduled to take effect during the 1970 season). When Brown finally received franchise approval by the AFL, The Bengals were founded. They started in the 1968 season. Brown was their Head Coach until 1975.
The Bengals were brought in under the AFC after the merger. Cincinnati was chosen as they could take from several nearby cities, including Springfield, Dayton, Columbus, Louisville, and Lexington. They are all within a couple of hours of downtown Cincinnati and Indianapolis. After Paul Brown died in 1991, the controlling interest in the team was taken over by Mike Brown, his son. In 2011, a deal with co-founder Austin Knowlton gave Mike majority control over the Bengals Franchise.
The Bengals won the AFC championship three times, in 1981, 1988, and 2021. After the first two, they lost to San Francisco in the XVI and XXIII Superbowls. The 1990s and 2000s periods of strife sometimes earned them ”The Bungles’’ as a nickname. After 1990, it would be 14 years before they’d post a winning record or qualify for the NFL playoffs. The Bengals head coaches and several top NFL draft picks failed. Mike Brown was rated among the worst franchise owners in 2011. The 2021 season provided a turning point where they won their first playoff in 31 years, advancing to the Super Bowl LVI, their first Superbowl appearance in 33 years (when they lost to the LA Rams).
Famous Cincinnati Bengals trademarks
Professional football teams often own a large amount of intellectual property, and the Cincinnati Bengals are no exception, despite being one of the less valuable teams. In 2021, the Bengals were the second-to-last valuable team. Still, they do own some famous trademarks. Let’s look at the trademarks owned by the Cincinnati Bengals, Inc.
Bengals
The first-word mark owned by the Cincinnati Bengals is ‘Bengals’ trademarked in 1971 for use in several categories, including:
- Educational and entertainment services, including professional sports
- Men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, namely, fleece tops and bottoms, headwear, caps, knit hats, T-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, tank tops, pants, jackets, golf shirts, knit shirts, jerseys, gloves, and aprons; not provided by or used in connection with a university
- Jewelry, watches, clocks, ornamental pins, earrings, necklaces, charms, collectible and commemorative coins made of precious metal, pendants, and key chains made of precious metal; not provided by or used in connection with a university
- Football helmets, magnetically encoded credit cards, decorative magnets, prerecorded compact discs containing music and audio tracks featuring the sport of football, computer game software, discs, and video game cartridges
Helmet logo
This mark consists of a side view of a football helmet; the logo was first used in 1980 and registered two years later for use in:
- Trading cards, magazines, posters, calendars, and novelty wrapping paper
- Books relating to football, including poster books and notepads
- Clothing includes T-shirts, jerseys, robes, bathing suits, and more
- Entertainment services in the form of professional football games and services
Related: How to trademark a logo
Cincinnati Bengals
The wordmark ‘Cincinnati Bengals’ was first registered in 1971 and expanded several times. Currently, the trademark is owned in the following categories:
- Trading cards, magazines, posters, calendars, and novelty wrapping paper
- Clothing for men, women, and children, including T-shirts, jerseys, robes, bathing suits, etc.
- Football helmets
- Toys and sporting goods, namely, plush toys, stuffed toy animals, play figures, golf balls, golf bags, footballs, Christmas tree ornaments, toy trucks, playing cards, and miniature toy helmets
- Books relating to football, including poster books and notepads
Leaping tiger logo
The leaping tiger logo is one of the most recognizable Bengals trademarks and was first trademarked in 2000 for use in:
- Sporting goods used to promote professional football games
- Sports equipment, including exercise equipment, exercise bikes, and weights
- Clothing for men, women, and children, including T-shirts, shoes, beachwear, underwear, sportswear, and gym clothing. Bowling attire, including bowling balls, shoes, and bags
- Entertainment services, including professional football games and exhibitions
- Posters, books related to football, and magazines related to football
- Novelty stickers, including bumper stickers
- Stationery including credit card holders, pens, pencils, and notepads
Tiger head logo
The tiger head logo is equally recognizable and appears on an array of Bengals merchandise. It was first registered in 1999 for use in the following categories:
- Entertainment services, including exhibitions and professional football games
- Novelty stickers, including bumper stickers
- Stationery including credit card holders, pens, pencils, and notepads
- Clothing for men, women, and children, including T-shirts, shoes, fleeces, scarves, beachwear, underwear, pajamas, sportswear, and gym clothing
- Jewelry, watches, clocks, pins (jewelry), earrings, necklaces, charms, pendants, and key chains made of precious metal
- Football helmets
- Sporting goods used to promote a sports team include bowling attire, bags, shoes, and bowling balls
- Golfing goods, including golf bags and clubs
‘Ready to roar’
The slogan, ‘ready to roar’ has been registered since 2000 for use in:
- Entertainment services like professional football games and exhibitions; providing a website on global computer networks featuring information in sports and entertainment, shows, and competitions
- Clothing for men, women, and children, including T-shirts, shoes, turtle necks, robes, fleeces, scarves, beachwear, underwear, pajamas, sportswear, and gym clothing
‘Who Dey’
The wordmark, ‘Who Dey’ was first registered in 2005 for use in the following categories:
- Goods and services, men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, namely, caps, headwear, and T-shirts
- Education and entertainment services like professional football games and exhibitions; providing sports and entertainment information via a global computer network or a commercial online service
- Organization of sports events; fan club services; educational services, namely, physical education programs; entertainment services, namely, musical and dance performances provided during intervals at sports events; production of radio and television programs, live shows featuring football games, exhibitions, competitions and musical, comedy and dance performances, festivals and events for fans of a professional football team
- Entertainment services like a team mascot for a professional football team; public appearances by a mascot, both live and broadcast over television, cable, satellite, and the worldwide web
‘Seize The Dey’
The slogan ‘Seize The Dey’ is currently pending trademark application; if approved, it’ll apply to the following categories:
- Key chains made of precious metal
- Fabric flags
- Mugs and novelty kitchen items
- Marketing services, namely, promoting the goods and services of others by arranging for sponsors to affiliate their goods and services with various football personalities and the sport of football; dissemination of advertising for others via an online electronic communications network
- Education and entertainment services
Wrapping Up
If you’re a Bengals fan, you’ll recognize their distinctive slogans, such as ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Ready To Roar,’ and their distinctive wild branding. The Bengal’s unique branding is under legal protection, as they have submitted more than 30 trademark applications with the USPTO. With correct trademark filing, you can protect your intellectual property.
