Lamar Jackson quickly resolves Dale Earnhardt Jr. dispute

ESPN reports that Lamar’s filing had “argued Earnhardt’s attempt to trademark that particular version of No. 8 would create confusion among consumers” due to their similarities.

This is not the first time that Jackson has argued that another athlete has a similarity to his No. 8. Jackson is currently in a legal battle with NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback is also looking to use his jersey number for merch but has found himself in the same predictament as Earnhardt Jr.

Lamar’s argument is the same in this case as well and his legal team argues that Aikman’s attempt to use “EIGHT” on apparel and bags would be “likely to cause confusion, or cause mistake, or to deceive” consumers who might be stumped when thinking their purchasing items from the Ravens star or the Hall of Famer. The filings occurred on July 9 of last year and are still pending at this time.

“Some of the instant reaction is, like, how can you own a number?” Christine Farley, a law professor and intellectual property expert at American University told ESPN at the time. “The truth is you can own almost anything you think of as a trademark.

“You can own a smell. You can own a sound. You can own a single color. You can own a single number.”

Across sports, the No. 8 is highly regarded as NBA legend Kobe Bryant wore the number for the Los Angeles Lakers, and MLB greats such as Baltimore Orioles Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra also donned the number.