In 1996 at 24 years old, Maryland football player Kevin Plank noticed he was constantly changing out of sweat-soaked clothes after practice, but his compression shorts remained dry throughout his workouts. This realization inspired him to create an athletic shirt composed of moisture-wicking synthetic fabric; he then shared this prototype with his athletic friends, some of whom were NFL players. Plank’s apparel business, originating out of his basement, started to take off.
Quarterback Jeff George from the Oakland Raiders wore Under Armour clothing on the front page of a USA Today spread, sparking interest in D1 teams across the country.
After an increase in business deals with American university teams, Warner Brothers contacted Under Armour and asked for help outfitting two sports feature films. After the movie debut, Under Armour began attracting more prominent investors and focused on advertising strategy and continued expansion.
The first Under Armour store was opened in 2007 in Maryland, with international locations opening in 2013. In the past ten years, Under Armour has continued to increase its command of the sports apparel market by forming partnerships and alliances with professional athletes and schools; notable names include Dwayne Johnson, Stephen Curry, the University of Notre Dame, and the MLB.
Under Armour’s unique name was the product of an accident; attempts to think of a name were unsuccessful, and Plank’s brother made an offhand remark about how his “under armour” venture was coming along, and the name stuck. Plank selected the traditional British spelling of the name versus the typical “Armor” as he felt the spelling distinction was more compelling. The brand remains based in Baltimore to this day.
Famous Under Armour trademarks
Under Armour, Inc has an array of trademarks registered, beginning with the company name in 1996 and ending with pending applications for new logos submitted as recently as last year. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the trademark applications submitted for Under Armour’s intellectual property.
I will
The trademark “I will” was registered in 2000, following its first use in 1999. The trademark registration applies to:
- Goods and services, clothing for men, women, and children, including wristbands, vests, jerseys, beanies, armbands, footwear, shorts, and bandanas
- Hair accessories, namely, hair ties, ponytail holders, and hair ribbons
- Online retail store services
- Batting gloves
- Eyewear, including sunglasses
UA logo
The first inception of the Under Armour (UA) logo was first used in 1996 and officially trademarked in 1998. The trademark registration applies to:
- Clothing and sports apparel, namely, T-shirts, hats, leggings, socks, shirts, and pants
- Toiletry kits
- Gloves
- Sports towels
- Fitness equipment
- Sports balls
- Sportswear, including chin straps
- Wristbands and headbands
- Online retail store services featuring apparel, footwear, headwear, eyewear, and sporting goods; and retail store services featuring clothing, footwear, headwear, eyewear, and sporting goods
- Sports bags, travel bags, and duffle bags
- Retail store services featuring apparel and sporting goods
Related: Trademarking a logo
Heatgear
Following its first use in 1998, the trademark registration for “Heatgear” was filed in 2003 in the following categories:
- Clothing including hats, leggings, socks, shirts, pants and T-shirts, skull caps, skull wraps, athletic footwear, pants, skirts, skorts, jackets, dresses, hoods, socks, sweatshirts
- Sports girdles, shinguards, shooter sleeves, compression sleeves, and batting gloves
- Full line of athletic clothing, hats, baseball hats, headbands, visors
- Chin straps
Humble & Hungry
Following its first use in 2010, the trademark for “Humble & Hungry” was registered in 2011 for use in the following:
- Cafeteria and restaurant services, cafe services, preparation of food and beverages, restaurant services, namely, providing food and drinks for consumption on and off the premises
UA Speedform
Following its first use in 2013, the trademark for “UA speedform” was registered in the following category in 2014:
- Athletic footwear and footwear
Coldgear
Following its first use in 2013, the trademark registration for “Coldgear” was officially registered in 2014 in the following categories:
- Beanies, headwear, vests, hoodies, sports suits, sports shirts, snowboard jackets, moisture-wicking sports shirts, gloves, headgear, raincoats, skiwear, pullovers, etc
- Protective gear for snowboarding
Inner Armour
The “Inner Armour” trademark was first registered in 2007 following its first use in 2004. The trademark applies to the following:
- Dietary and nutritional supplements
Ridge Reaper
With Under Armour partnering with Ridge Reaper to “hunt the biggest game in North America in some of the harshest and most extreme conditions,” it’s no surprise that they trademarked the name, too. Following its first use in 2010 the name was trademarked in 2011:
- Bottoms, camo gloves, jackets, pants. Hunting jackets, pants
- Rainwear, shell jackets, waterproof pants, and jackets
- Wind resistant clothing
Mother Nature Made it, Under Armour Made It Better
Since 2011, Under Armour has trademarked the slogan “Mother Nature Made it, Under Armour made it better” for use in:
- Clothing, namely, tops, bottoms, shirts, sweatshirts, hooded sweatshirts, pants, sweatpants, shorts, socks
Armourbite
Since 2010, Under Armour has owned the registered trademark to “Armourbite”. The registration is valid in the following categories:
- Medical device, namely, intra-oral apparatus for spacing the occlusal surfaces of teeth
- Athletic equipment, namely, mouth guards
Armour bra
The Armour bra trademark was first registered in 2012. Under Armour sell popular sports bras under this trademark. The filing applies to:
- Women’s clothing, including bras
Map My Walk
Since 2014, Under Armour has owned the trademark for “Map My Walk”, which is a GPS tracking app designed to help you get fit and stay fit. The trademark registration is valid in the following categories:
- Goods and services, providing online electronic bulletin boards for the transmission of messages among users related to fitness and exercise
- Providing a website that allows users to share, locate and post information about competitions and fitness events
- Online journals, blogs, and newsletters related to fitness and exercise
- Goods and services, computer services including hosting an online community for registered users to upload, share and track fitness goals such as calorie counting, heart rate, and BMI
- Online social networking related to fitness
The Only Way Is Through
One of the most recent trademark applications submitted was in 2020 for “The Only Way is Through”. While the trademark application hasn’t been approved yet if it is, it’s expected to apply in the following categories:
- Retail store services featuring apparel, footwear, headwear, sporting goods, and accessories
- Online retail store services featuring apparel, footwear, headwear, sporting goods, and accessories
UA shop
Following its first use in commerce in 2016, the UA shop trademark was registered in 2017 for use in the following categories:
- Downloadable software like a mobile application that provides access to shopping and information in apparel, footwear, sporting goods, eyewear, headwear, sports bags, backpacks, and consumer electronic devices for use in the fields of fitness, exercise, and nutrition
- Retail store services featuring apparel, footwear, sporting goods, eyewear, headwear, sports bags, backpacks, and consumer electronic devices for use in fitness, exercise, and nutrition are provided via a downloadable mobile application
Wrapping up
Founder Kevin Plank created Under Armour in 1996 and has since amassed not only one of the biggest athletic apparel brands of all time but also substantial intellectual property rights. With a little under 200 trademarks registered with the trademark office, Under Armour is one of the most prolific trademark owners. Under Armour continues to go from strength to strength, and new trademark applications have been submitted as recently as last year.
