Texas A&M Settle ’12th Man’ Trademark Suit with NFL’s Colts

Texas A&M University says it has reached a settlement agreement with the Indianapolis Colts in the school’s federal lawsuit it says was meant to protect its “12th Man” trademark from infringement.

In a statement issued Wednesday, A&M officials said the lawsuit “has been settled amicably and with good will.” A&M spokesman Shane Hinckley and a Colts spokesman declined to offer details on the terms of the agreement.

When the lawsuit was filed last November in federal court in Houston, A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said the intent was to protect the phrase “Home of the 12th Man” and variations of it that the university contends have brought its fan base “national renown.”

A&M previously sued the Seattle Seahawks for infringing on the trademark and the two sides reached a settlement.

The university says the 12th Man phrase was federally trademarked in 1990.