Lynch seeks 'I'm just here' trademark

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is a man of few words, but when he utters those words, he sometimes trademarks them.

Lynch last week filed for the trademark to the phrase "I'm just here so I won't get fined" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Lynch famously uttered the phrase as the answer to more than 20 questions on Super Bowl XLIX media day before walking off the podium.

"We heard from our fans, and so many of them were saying that they wanted that phrase on the clothing," Chris Bevans, who runs Lynch's "Beast Mode" apparel line, told ESPN.com. "This is just listening to the marketplace."

The Seattle Times first reported news of Lynch's latest trademark filing.

Bevans said the phrase will appear on shirts and sweatshirts on the Beast Mode website within the next month.

The label will also debut a shoe line in partnership with high-end shoe designer Jon Buscemi. Bevans said the shoes, which will be part of Buscemi's mid-tier GREATS line in Italy, will retail for $180.

They likely won't have trouble selling, as every item on the website made for men is sold out in all sizes.

Lynch's brand had its own pop-up shop in Scottsdale during the Super Bowl. Although the store's location was off the beaten path, it quickly sold out of its 1,000 hats, after Lynch sported different versions of the hat with his logo on it at media appearances during the week.

Sponsorship evaluation firm Front Row Analytics calculated total exposure for the "Beast Mode" brand that week to be more than $3 million in equivalent advertising time.

The NFL was exploring whether to fine Lynch for wearing the hats because the logo wasn't authorized by the league. Days after the game, the NFL announced that Lynch would not be fined because the hat was made by NFL licensee New Era Cap.

His latest effort isn't the first time Lynch tried to trademark a phrase he used on media day.

Last year, he trademarked "About that action BOSS," which he said to Deion Sanders of the NFL Network in the only interview he conducted during Super Bowl XLVIII media day. Lynch is expected to be the owner of that trademark by this summer, but in the meantime, he has already started selling clothes with the phrase on it.

Lynch owns four "Beast Mode" trademarks and has filed for four more. He has also filed for the phrase "Power Pellets."

Lynch had filed for a trademark only on his now familiar "B" logo that adorned his hats during Super Bowl week to be used on candy products and non-alcoholic beverages. Two weeks before the Super Bowl, he trademarked the logo with the intent to use it on clothing, headphones, sunglasses and duffel bags, among other products.

Devin Lacerte of Octagon, who works with a trademark attorney on all of Lynch's trademarks, told ESPN.com last month that hundreds of cease-and-desist letters have been sent to people who try to sell products with the "Beast Mode" name.

Lynch's agent Doug Hendrickson is currently engaged in contract negotiations with the Seahawks. Lynch will be entering the final year of a four-year, $31 million deal.