The Jaguars, who caught flak from local groups after trademarking the phrase, “Duuuval,” have seemingly dropped the trademark tag from their social media after receiving criticism for the move.
John M. Phillips, a local attorney, said on Facebook that it appears the Jaguars changed their cover graphic on Twitter after letters were sent to them by Phillips’ office on behalf of several clients.
Phillips added that he was very proud of the Jaguars decision.
“DUUUVAL belongs to the fans,” Phillips said on Facebook. “You can’t just take it to the exclusion of the person who created it or popularized it. It is a state of mind of a David versus Goliath town.”
The Jaguars spokesperson released the following statement regarding the trademark debacle:
It's important to note that the Jaguars have not submitted an application to register the wordmark “DUUUVAL.” 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, given that it became associated with our fans and the team on a national level this past season. In addition, even if we were to seek trademark registration, it would not prohibit any fan from continuing to say or use the word Duval in general."
