Hours after it was announced that Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson was disputing Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s trademark claim of No. 8, the situation has been resolved. The NASCAR legend announced Friday on social media that he has secured the right to use a stylized version of No. 8 and will abandon the original No. 8 logo used by Earnhardt's JR Motorsports.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 4, 2025
The decision comes two days after Jackson’s attorneys filed a notice of opposition Wednesday with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, saying Earnhardt Jr.’s claim to the number would conflict with his “Era 8” brand — which covers a variety of bags as well as “bottoms as clothing, footwear, headwear, tops as clothing (and) undergarments.”
Jackson, who has worn No. 8 since winning a Heisman Trophy at Louisville, previously registered the trademark "ERA 8 by Lamar Jackson."
The two-time MVP believes he's the most recognizable No. 8. Just last year, Jackson challenged a trademark claim from Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman to put “EIGHT” on merchandise.
According to The Athletic, Teresa Earnhardt, the wife of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., let the rights expire without renewing them. That prompted Earnhardt Jr. to claim his old familiar No. 8, which he continues to race in short-track late-model races.
That particular No. 8, with a font so associated with Earnhardt Jr., is not being challenged by Jackson. A second No. 8, also slanted but in a different font, is the one Jackson’s filing said would lead purchasers to “mistakenly believe the products (Earnhardt Jr.) offers under the mark 8 are related to the products and services provided by (Jackson).”
Trademarking a numeral is a tricky legal issue because several famous athletes have worn No. 8 in addition to Aikman and Jackson. The list includes another Baltimore icon in Orioles legend Cal Ripken and Kobe Bryant, Carl Yastrzemski, Earnhardt Jr., and Steve Young, who Aikman referenced in his call to make peace.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Lamar Jackson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. resolve dispute over the No. 8
