Buffalo Bills fans have long been dubbed as "Bills Mafia," and now it appears the team intends to sell merchandise with that phrase on it.
According to Josh Gerben of Gerben Intellectual Property, the Bills have filed a trademark application for "Bills Mafia." They intend to use the phrase on clothing items like hats, T-shirts and much more.
The Buffalo Bills have filed a trademark application for BILLS MAFIA.
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) October 16, 2020
The application, just filed on October 12th, claims that the team is the owner of the trademark and intends to sell BILLS MAFIA branded clothing.#BillsMafia #BuffaloBills pic.twitter.com/b6CveEpghz
Fans were quick to accuse the Bills organization of a money grab when the news broke, but "Bills Mafia" co-founder Del Reid encouraged fans to see the good in the trademark.
.@PegulaSE & the @BuffaloBills HAVE reached out to us, and is embracing #BillsMafia and all it stands for.
— Del Reid (@DelReid) October 16, 2020
We're looking forward to working with them to ensure that the #BillsMafia community continues to do what it always has done: rally behind the team & support our community.
Reid was among a small group of fans who coined the term about a decade ago. Since then, fans, players and broadcasters have come to love the phrase.
Regardless if people think it's all about the money, this trademark certainly will bring the Buffalo community together even further. With the Bills getting better every season, it seems like the perfect time to trademark the phrase.
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