Are Olympic Gold Medalists Struggling To Trademark Their Brands?

Not only do Olympic athletes have to worry about bagging gold medals, they need to be first to trademark their own brands.

According to Gawker, college student A.J. Rotunde shelled out $325 to trademark 'Flying Squirrel,' the name Gabby Douglas was dubbed during the 2012 London games.

Though the U.S. Patent and Trademark office has yet to approve his application, the Fordham University business student plans to release all kinds of tagged merchandise hailing the 16-year-old prodigy once given the green light.

But it seems Gabby isn't the only athlete caught up in copyright affairs. Star swimmer Ryan Lochte is actually ahead of the curve and working to trademark his often used phrase "Jeah."

TMZ reports that Ryan wants to use the word on various memorabilia including workout DVDs, gift cards, mugs, drinking glasses, trading cards, calendars, posters, swimsuits, swim caps, sports hats, and water bottles. He's already sold "Jeah"-themed tees, hats, and sunglasses on his website.

But like much of today's lingo, "Jeah" has been used before. The term is a remix of rapper Young Jeezy's "Cheah" or what MC Eiht calls his original creation. "Why try and trademark something his ass didn't even create?," Eiht said. "I am mad that he isn't giving me proper recognition for taking my saying. He is just disrespectful." Lochte's manager says the athlete denies swindling the word from the Compton rapper.

Just serves as a reminder that not everything Olympic winners touch means gold.