THE least-likely-to-be-approved trademark application

Ohio State University wants to trademark the word “the.”

No, really.

Application No. 88571984 was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 8 and caught the eye of a prominent trademark attorney in Washington, D.C., according to NBC News.

Specifically, the application seeks a trademark on the single word "the" for use on T-shirts and baseball caps and hats. The university gave public statements on the application, stating officials want the school to be called “The Ohio State University,” pointing out that “the” is included in the official name of the school and that it's important to "vigorously protect the university's brand and trademarks."

As of Thursday — one week after its filing — the school has become THE Internet laughingstock among lawyers, journalists and other schools.

The University of Michigan, for example, poked fun at the filing of its rival on Wednesday, tweeting the satirical suggestion that it had trademarked the word "of."