Opponents of Anthony Davis have been known to "fear the brow." But anyone thinking of capitalizing off the basketball phenomenon's famous unibrow better prepare for cease-and-desist letters.
That's because Davis has trademarked the catchphrases "Fear the Brow" and "Raise the Brow," CNBC reports.
“I don’t want anyone to try to grow a unibrow because of me and then try to make money off of it,” Davis told CNBC. “Me and my family decided to trademark it because it’s very unique.”
Davis isn't the first athlete to try and trademark a famous catchphrase. New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin became the only applicant remaining for the "Linsanity" trademark last month. Lin began the process of trademarking "Linsanity" just five games into his team's memorable seven-game winning streak, according to The New York Times.
Legendary NBA coach Pat Riley also laid claim to a famous phrase. Riley, now president of the Miami Heat, trademarked the term "Three-Peat" in 1989 after he coached the Lakers to two consecutive NBA Championships, according to the NYT. The team failed to win a third championship in 1989.
NCAA rules barring college players from financially profiting from athletics while at school have prevented Davis from exercising his intellectual property rights himself. Instead, the University of Kentucky conducted the service for him.
Already, the school’s associate athletic director for marketing has had to send out multiple cease-and-desist letters, according to ABC.
So does Davis have any plans to shave through the middle? Not at all, he says, especially when “everyone’s talking about it.”
"I’m not going to change who I am," Davis said of the unibrow, when asked by ESPN. "It’s me."
The New Orleans Hornets are likely to select Davis as the number one overall pick in this year's NBA draft. Once in the NBA, Davis and his family will be free to take on those trying to take advantage of the brow. Maybe they'll even receive a royalty check or two.