It all started with “The 12th Man.”

When the Seahawks began getting attention for calling their fans “the 12th man” a few years back, Texas A&M stepped in and litigated because they had already trademarked the phrase “the 12th man” in reference to its fans. The two reached a settlement, where the Seahawks would pay the college for the rights to use “the 12th man” in some instances.

After the Super Bowl last year, the Seahawks wanted to be more proactive in their trademarking and get in on some of that A&M action. The team had simply started using the number “12” to refer to its fans, because it avoided “the 12th man” issues. So they attempted to trademark the number “12.”

A number. Twelve. The one right after 11. It’s unclear if school children would have to start skipping the number when they were counting in school, or else risk committing trademark infringement. (Update: I’ve gotten several people on Twitter explaining to me the intricacies of trademark law. Please, everyone. Please stop. This is a joke. I know kids can still say the number 12.)

It started with the Seahawks attempting to trademark a flag with the number 12 on it. Then they kept going:

From the Seattle Times’ Mike Baker:

The team has gone further, filing two trademark applications for the number “12” in general. The federal agency turned down one application due to a previous trademark for a NASCAR team. Another was refused due to a previous trademark for a hotel. In the meantime, the team has also pursued trademark of “12” in the team’s jersey font, which has some similarities to other NFL jerseys, such as the “12” worn by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Ridiculous? Maybe. The team isn’t done though. After trademarking the phrase “Legion of Boom,” the Seahawks wanted more, and are now trying to trademark the phrase “boom.” That process is also being disrupted, though, and the trademark has not gone through.