This post is in partnership with Time. The article below was originally published at Time.com.
By Jack Linshi, TIME
By now, you’ve seen plenty of commercials advertising February’s Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. But there’s a second kind of Super Bowl ad you might have seen, too: the kind that isn’t allowed to say “Super Bowl.”
The National Football League, which has trademarked the term “Super Bowl,” isn’t afraid to send cease-and-desist letters to anybody using the term without permission, according to SB Nation. That means brands that aren’t willing to pay the big bucks to use the term have to come up with sometimes strange alternatives instead.
The tight regulations are part of the reason why the NFL’s ad space for the game is so lucrative: In 2010, Budweiser signed a six-year Super Bowl sponsorship deal worth over $1 billion, while 30-second Super Bowl ads — which reach over 100 million viewers — regularly sell for $4 million a pop.
In the past, the rules have led to awkward workarounds like Stephen Colbert’s “Superb Owl,” a tongue-in-cheek joke poking fun at the NFL’s habit of tightly guarding the Super Bowl trademark:
If you're a fan of my Superb Owl coverage, tweet about it with the official hashtag, #SUPERBOWL.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) January 29, 2014
If you're a fan of my Superb Owl coverage, tweet about it with the official hashtag, #SUPERBOWL.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) January 29, 2014
Here’s how some brands are working around the restriction this year:
.@Delta to add more service between Phoenix and Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle to accommodate fans going to the pro football championship.
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) January 20, 2015
.@Delta to add more service between Phoenix and Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle to accommodate fans going to the pro football championship.
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) January 20, 2015
https://twitter.com/NikeSF/status/556628290799411200
ESPN has used the phrase "pro football championship on Feb 1st" three times. Why can't they say Super Bowl, which is a TM name?
— i'm back? i guess? (@charlesthomas) January 19, 2015
ESPN has used the phrase "pro football championship on Feb 1st" three times. Why can't they say Super Bowl, which is a TM name?
— i'm back? i guess? (@charlesthomas) January 19, 2015
https://twitter.com/MillerLite/status/557011220105289730
Did you hear that in the sky? Lots of cheers & tears. Free Inflight TV will carry the next game, if you're flying on a WiFi-enabled flight!
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) January 18, 2015
Did you hear that in the sky? Lots of cheers & tears. Free Inflight TV will carry the next game, if you're flying on a WiFi-enabled flight!
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) January 18, 2015