Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Electronic Filing System. http://estta.uspto.gov
`
`ESTTA Tracking number:
`
`ESTTA758429
`
`Filing date:
`
`07/14/2016
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`BEFORE THE TRADEMARK TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`Proceeding
`
`Applicant
`
`86431803
`
`Vicis, Inc.
`
`Applied for Mark
`
`VICIS
`
`RHETT V BARNEY
`LEE & HAYES PLLC
`601 W RIVERSIDE AVE
`SPOKANE, WA 99201
`UNITED STATES
`trademarks@leehayes.com, rhettb@leehayes.com, karig@leehayes.com
`
`Applicants Request for Remand and Amendment
`
`VICIS Revised Request for Remand 86431803.pdf(38048 bytes )
`Exhibit A - Bloomberg - pronunciation of VICIS.pdf(739250 bytes )
`Exhibit B - Inc. pronunciation of VICIS.pdf(297615 bytes )
`Exhibit C - VICI Enterprises - pronunciation of VICI.pdf(268794 bytes )
`Exhibit D - NY NOW - pronunciation of VICI.pdf(78454 bytes )
`Exhibit E - Vici Coffee -pronunciation of VICI.pdf(642535 bytes )
`Exhibit F - Vici instruments - pronunciation of VICI.pdf(214656 bytes )
`Exhibit G - Memoria Press - classic vs eccliastic latin pronunciation.pdf(316618
`bytes )
`Exhibit H -A Short History of Latin Pronunciation _ Memoria Press.pdf(436856
`bytes )
`Exhibit K - Latin Dictionary - Vincere.pdf(205177 bytes )
`Exhibit I - Veni Vidi Vici Definition - Merriam-Webster.pdf(110760 bytes )
`Exhibit J - Veni vidi vici - Wikipedia.pdf(249785 bytes )
`Exhibit L - Cited Mark - registration - meaning of VICI.pdf(194279 bytes )
`Exhibit M - VICI JOUR reg. - meaning of VICI.pdf(197793 bytes )
`Exhibit N - VICI Productions reg. - meaning of VICI.pdf(194759 bytes )
`Exhibit O - VIDI VICI registration - meaning of VICI.pdf(212633 bytes )
`Exhibit P - Headphones VENI VIDI VICI reg. - meaning of VICI.pdf(194926 bytes
`
`) E
`
`xhibit Q - Paintball co VICI reg. - meaning of VICI.pdf(197343 bytes )
`Exhibit R - PM Inc. VENI VIDI VICI reg. - meaning of VICI.pdf(197216 bytes )
`Exhibit S - Plural of Vincere.pdf(134866 bytes )
`Exhibit T - Singular vs plural verbs in English.pdf(229619 bytes )
`Exhibit U - Oxford Dictionaries US English - no meaning of VICIS.pdf(415873
`bytes )
`Exhibit V - Vicis - Definition Merriam-Webster Dictionary.pdf(550481 bytes )
`Exhibit W - vicis definition from Macmillan Dictionary.pdf(369849 bytes )
`Exhibit X - Vicis search - American Heritage Dictionary.pdf(470299 bytes )
`Exhibit Y - Words starting with vici - word hippo.pdf(85393 bytes )
`Exhibit Z - VICI Website compilation.pdf(609233 bytes )
`
`Correspondence
`Address
`
`Submission
`
`Attachments
`
`Filer's Name
`
`Filer's e-mail
`
`George H. Brunt
`
`georgeb@leehayes.com, rhettb@leehayes.com, trademarks@leehayes.com,
`karig@leehayes.com
`
`Signature
`
`Date
`
`/george h brunt/
`
`07/14/2016
`
`

`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`BEFORE THE TRADEMARK TRIAL & APPEAL BOARD
`
`
`APPLICANT: Vicis, Inc.
`
`MARK: VICIS
`
`SERIAL NO: 86/431,803
`
`FILING DATE: October 22, 2014
`
`EXAMINING ATTORNEY: Robin M. Mittler
`
`Law Office 119
`
`REVISED REQUEST FOR REMAND
`
`Applicant Vicis, Inc. (“Applicant”) respectfully submits this Revised Request
`for Remand in response to the Board’s notice dated June 24, 2016, and asks that the
`Board suspend this appeal and remand trademark Application Serial No. 86/431,803
`for the Examining Attorney to consider additional evidence submitted herewith, in
`accordance with TBMP §1207.02 and 37 C.F.R. § 2.142(d).
`
`Applicant respectfully requests that the Examining Attorney withdraw its
`rejections in light of the additional evidence provided with this response to the
`Office Action issued on December 11, 2015.
`
`I.
`
`PROSECUTION HISTORY
`
`
`
` On October 22, 2014, Applicant filed the instant application of the mark
`VICIS for use in connection with the following goods:
`
`• Class 018: “Sports bags; backpacks; daypacks; tote bags; duffel bags;
`messenger bags; beach bags; overnight bags; clutch bags; grip bags; shoulder
`bags; traveling bags; sling bags; carryalls; hiking bags; hunting bags;
`satchels; luggage; rucksacks” and
`
`• Class 025: “Clothing; headwear; footwear”
`
`
`

`
` On February 2, 2015, Examining Attorney Robin Mittler issued an office
`
`action under section 2(d) of the Lanham Act on the basis that, in her opinion,
`Applicant’s VICIS mark was confusingly similar to Trademark Registration No.
`4,563,922, for the mark VICI for use in connection with “Handbags, purses and
`wallets” and “Fashion hats; Men's and women's jackets, coats, trousers, vests;
`Scarves; Women's clothing, namely, shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses” (the “Cited
`Mark”).
`
`
`
` On August 6, 2015, Applicant responded to the Office Action, providing
`arguments and some evidence demonstrating that the marks are not confusingly
`similarly, as well as amending/narrowing its description of goods as follows:
`
`
`
`• Class 018: “Sports Bags”
`
`• Class 025: “Clothing for use in sports, namely, tops, shirts, t-shirts,
`sweatshirts, jerseys, jackets, vests, outerwear, bottoms, pants, shorts, socks,
`and undergarments; headwear for use in sports; footwear for use in sports”
`
`
` On September 09, 2015, the Examining Attorney maintained her position that
`
`the marks are confusingly similar and made the refusal Final.
`
`
`
` On March 9, 2016, Applicant timely filed a Request for Reconsideration and
`Appeal, along with additional arguments and evidence that the mark being cited
`against Applicant’s mark is not confusingly similar.
`
`
`
` On May 2, 2016, the Examining Attorney denied Applicant’s Request for
`Reconsideration.
`
`
`
` On June 17, 2016, Applicant filed a Request for Remand. The Board issued
`an Order on June 24, 2016 allowing Applicant to submit this Revised Request for
`Remand along with additional evidence supporting Applicant’s position.
`
`
`
`

`
`
`
`II. BASIS FOR REQUEST FOR REMAND, GOOD CAUSE
`
`
`Pursuant to TMEP 1207.02 (37 CFR § 2.142(d)), an applicant may request a
`suspension of appeal and remand to the examining attorney for purposes of
`submitting additional evidence after an appeal has been filed. Such a request must
`(1) be made prior to the Board’s final determination; (2) give an explanation as to
`the “good cause” for the request; and (3) be accompanied by the additional evidence
`sought to be introduced.
`
`
`
`a. Prior to Board’s Final Determination
`
`
`
`As the Board has not yet made a final determination regarding this appeal and
`Applicant’s application, this request is timely. Indeed, the time for Applicant to
`submit its appeal brief has not yet passed. As such, Applicant’s request is timely.
`
`
`
`b. Good Cause for the Request
`
`
`
`Pursuant to TMEP 1207.02 (37 CFR § 2.142(d)), and applicant must
`demonstrate “good cause” in order for the request to be considered. The TMEP
`explicitly states that if “[a] new attorney for the applicant, or a new examining
`attorney, has taken over the case and wishes to supplement the evidence of record”
`then such action constitutes good cause. On June 3, 2016, Applicant revoked the
`appointment of the attorney that was previously prosecuting this application, and
`appointed undersigned counsel.
`
`
`
`Considering that appointment of a new attorney to take over prosecution of an
`application is explicitly provided for in the TMEP as good cause, Applicant
`respectfully requests that good cause be acknowledged as a matter of law.
`
`
`
`
`
`

`
`III. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE SOUGHT TO BE INTRODUCED
`
`
`Additional evidence regarding the sound, connotation and commercial
`impression of Applicant’s Mark in comparison with the Cited Mark is included
`herewith as identified and described below. Specifically, Applicant maintains that
`the Examiner failed to appreciate the differences in sound, connotation and
`commercial impression between Applicant’s Mark and the Cited Mark.
`
`
`
`a) Exhibits A-H Relate to the Sound/Pronunciation of the Marks.
`
`Applicant’s VICIS mark is pronounced VYE-sis (with a long I sound in the
`first syllable and a soft C and short I sound in the second syllable). See Exhibits A-
`B. As VICIS is an arbitrary mark that does not have a meaning, the pronunciation
`likely to be adopted by consumers is difficult to predict. Applicant believes
`consumers will use the prescribed pronunciation Applicant uses in its own
`communications and press releases. Under the time constraints imposed on
`Applicant’s new counsel to gather evidence, there was insufficient time to conduct
`a consumer survey. However, if the Examiner does not withdraw her objections to
`registration of the mark, Applicant plans to seek permission to conduct a consumer
`survey and submit evidence regarding how consumers pronounce the term VICIS.
`
`The Cited Mark, on the other hand, is a commonly encountered word (as it
`appears in the widely known quote “veni, vidi, vici”). The word VICI will most
`likely be pronounced by average consumers as VEE-chee (with a long E sound in
`both syllables and a CH sound to begin the second syllable). See Exhibits C-F. The
`VEE-chee pronunciation is consistent with the instructions of the “VICI” brands
`cited in Exhibits C-F. Common modern day English pronunciation of Latin words
`further confirms that VICI would not be pronounced similarly to VICIS. See
`Exhibits G-H. Exhibit I is a printout from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary
`entry for VICI showing both the “classical” and the “ecclesiastic” pronunciations,
`neither of which are similar to how VICIS is pronounced.
`
`
`Instead of submitting evidence regarding the sound of the marks, the
`Examiner merely claims that the marks “could clearly be pronounced the same.”
`However, just because two words could be pronounced the same does not mean
`consumers are likely to do so. The Exhibits indicate that consumers are likely to
`pronounce the two words in markedly different ways.
`
`
`

`
`b) Exhibits G-Y Relate to the Connotation of the Marks.
`
`The Examiner has not submitted any evidence regarding the meaning of the
`marks, arguing incorrectly that VICIS is the plural of VICI and stating without
`support that U.S. consumers would recognize it as such.
`
`VICI is Latin word, best known to U.S. consumers for its inclusion in the
`famous quote “veni, vidi, vici” popularly attributed to Julius Caesar. See Exhibit J.
`VICI is the first-person singular, past-perfect form of the Latin verb vincere,
`meaning “to conquer.” See Exhibit K. In vici form, it means “I conquered” – as in
`“I came, I saw, I conquered.” This meaning is borne out by numerous trademark
`registrations, including that of the Cited Mark. See Exhibits L-R. Because VICI is a
`Latin verb well-known to U.S. consumers, it is wrong to conclude that U.S.
`consumers would attempt to pluralize it by adding an ‘s’. Exhibit S shows the correct
`Latin plural forms of vincere. Further, in English, singular verbs that end in ‘s’ are
`most commonly pluralized by dropping the ‘s’. See Exhibit T.
`
`In contrast, VICIS has no meaning in English or in any other commonly
`recognized language. See Exhibits U-Y.
`
`c) EZ Relates to the Different Commercial Impressions Created by the Marks
`when Applied to the Respective Goods.
`
`
`
`TMEP §1207.01(b)(v) states:
`
`
`The meaning or connotation of a mark must be determined in
`relation to the named goods or services. Even marks that are
`identical in sound and/or appearance may create sufficiently
`different commercial impressions when applied to the respective
`parties’ goods or services so that there is no likelihood of confusion.
`See, e.g., In re Sears, Roebuck & Co., 2 USPQ2d 1312, 1314
`(TTAB 1987) (holding CROSS-OVER for bras and CROSSOVER
`for ladies’ sportswear not likely to cause confusion, noting that the
`term "CROSS-OVER" was suggestive of the construction of
`applicant’s bras, whereas "CROSSOVER," as applied
`to
`registrant’s goods, was "likely to be perceived by purchasers either
`as an entirely arbitrary designation, or as being suggestive of
`sportswear which "crosses over" the line between informal and
`more formal wear . . . or the line between two seasons"); In re
`British Bulldog, Ltd., 224 USPQ 854, 856 (TTAB 1984) (holding
`
`

`
`PLAYERS for men’s underwear and PLAYERS for shoes not
`likely to cause confusion, agreeing with applicant's argument that
`the term "PLAYERS" implies a fit, style, color, and durability
`suitable for outdoor activities when applied to shoes, but "'implies
`something else, primarily indoors in nature'" when applied to men’s
`underwear); In re Sydel Lingerie Co., 197 USPQ 629, 630 (TTAB
`1977) (holding BOTTOMS UP for ladies’ and children’s
`underwear and BOTTOMS UP for men’s clothing not likely to
`cause confusion, noting that the wording connotes the drinking
`phrase "Drink Up" when applied to men’s clothing, but does not
`have this connotation when applied to ladies’ and children’s
`underwear).
`
`
`
`
`
`Exhibits Z consists of printouts from the website offering the goods associated
`with the Cited Mark for purposes of illustrating the different commercial
`impressions between the marks when applied to their respective goods.
`
`d) Other Evidence
`
`As noted above, Applicant respectfully requests additional time to conduct a
`survey relating to how consumers would perceive Applicant’s Mark in terms of
`appearance, sound, meaning and commercial impression, and to make such evidence
`of record for the appeal proceedings, if necessary.
`
`Likewise, Applicant has made attempts to contact the owner of the Cited Mark
`to seek a letter in support of Applicant’s position that consumer confusion is highly
`unlikely in the instant case. Because of the recent change in Applicant’s counsel,
`Applicant needs additional time to contact the owner of the Cited Mark. Applicant
`requests permission to enter the letter into the record in the event it is necessary to
`continue the appeal.
`
`
`
`IV. CONCLUSION
`
`
`
`For the above reasons, and for the good cause demonstrated, Applicant
`respectfully requests that the Board suspend this appeal and remand the matter to the
`Examining Attorney for Further examination. Application further requests
`additional time to file a supplemental appeal brief should the Board deny the Request
`for Remand.
`
`

`
`/s/ George Brunt
`
`GEORGE H. BRUNT
`
`Lee & Hayes, PLLC
`
`
`
`
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

`
`6/27/2016
`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`Seattle startup Vicis tries to crack a tough market.
`By Bryan Gruley and Peter Robison | January 11, 2016
`Photograph by Caroline Tompkins/Bloomberg
`Dave Marver crouches in his Seattle office, brandishing two black football helmets that look pretty much alike.
`One is made by Riddell, the nation’s best-selling helmet manufacturer. The other is a prototype made by Vicis,
`the startup company for which Marver is chief executive.
`
`He slams the crown of the Riddell model onto the concrete floor, producing the familiar violent crack of a strong
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`1/9
`
`

`
`6/27/2016
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`safety blindsiding a wide receiver. Then Marver bangs his own company’s helmet down. The sound it makes is
`a flat, squishy thump—not something likely to thrill the average National Football League fan. Marver grins. “It’s
`up to us,” he says, “to make thump cool.”
`
`To treat football’s concussion plague, Vicis (VYE-sis) has reimagined the traditional helmet. Instead of a rigid
`outer shell, the company’s debut helmet, called Zero1, has a soft, deformable outer skin with a harder plastic
`core inside. Like a car’s bumper, the softer carapace gives a little when struck, slowing the impact before it
`reaches a tailback’s brain.
`
`Additional layers further dampen impacts and cradle the player’s head in mattress-like memory foam. Two of
`the four chin-strap snaps fasten to the inner shell rather than the outer one, which Vicis’s engineers think will
`curb energy flowing through the jaw.
`
`The Helmet Reimagined
`
`Lode Shell
`Softer shell absorbs 
`impact load by deforming 
`like a car bumper, then 
`bouncing back.
`
`Core Layer
`Inch-and-a-half-thick 
`layer of vertical struts that 
`bend and buckle to slow 
`down impact forces.
`
`Source: Vicis
`
`Form Liner
`Waterproof textiles and 
`foams create a form liner 
`that mimics mattress-like 
`memory foam for fit and 
`comfort.
`
`Arch Shell
`Hard plastic layer 
`protects against skull
`
`Chin Strap
`Two of the four snaps 
`fasten to the inner shell to 
`curb energy flowing 
`through the jaw.
`
`At the same time, Marver knows the essential form can’t seem too different. The first thing many players do with
`a new helmet is try it on in front of a mirror. “They’re young males, they’re invincible, they want it to look cool,”
`he says.
`
`With the Will Smith movie Concussion in theaters and 25 percent of parents in a Harris Poll last year saying they
`won’t let their kids play football and other contact sports, a cottage industry of scientists and entrepreneurs is
`trying to invent safer gear. The NFL is supporting some efforts with $60 million in grants in a joint program with
`General Electric and Under Armour. The recipients include a company making a turf underlayer that cushions
`falls and UCLA researchers working on a new type of helmet liner.
`
`Vicis’s $10 million in funding, mostly from private investors, includes $500,000 from the NFL program. The
`company says its goal is to reduce the incidence of concussion in football by 50 percent. “There’s a lot of
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`2/9
`
`

`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`6/27/2016
`optimism around the potential for their product,” says Jeff Miller, the NFL’s senior vice president of health and
`safety. “The idea is that it’s disruptive technology. How much it revolutionizes the industry, we’ll see.”
`
`Even with the growing body of evidence about concussions at all levels of the game, the helmet market isn’t
`easy to crack. For years, Riddell and No. 2 Schutt Sports have claimed about 90 percent of the $100 million to
`$150 million business. A newer company, Detroit’s Xenith, sells helmets with an inner bonnet that, somewhat
`like Vicis’s technology, seeks to absorb energy and reduce sudden movements of the head. The company’s
`market share of about 10 percent is concentrated among high school and youth players. Rawlings reentered
`the business five years ago only to exit again last summer after being sued by Riddell for patent infringement.
`(Rawlings said at the time that its exit was unrelated to the lawsuit).
`
`Vicis won’t be competing on price, charging four to five times as much as its rivals. The company is also bracing
`for patent lawsuits from Riddell. “That’s how they compete,” Marver says, alluding to the Rawlings case and
`past litigation that drove Schutt into bankruptcy. “It’s one reason you don’t see as much innovation in this space
`as you’d like.”
`
`A Riddell spokeswoman says the company is “disappointed” at Marver’s remarks. “If the CEO expects litigation
`—before the new helmet has even been publicly introduced—we cannot help question how Vicis defines
`innovation,” she says. Should Riddell determine the Zero1 infringes patents, “we will protect our innovation.”
`Schutt CEO Robert Erb says: “We’re always interested in new technology and innovation. It’s difficult to say that
`anything we haven’t seen is actually new and innovative.”
`
`Vicis helmet design studio.
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`3/9
`
`

`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`6/27/2016
`Source: Vicis
`Marver and his staff of about 25 work in a low-slung building of cinderblock walls across the street from the Bill
`and Melinda Gates Foundation. Designers sitting at desktop computers amid racks of competitors’ helmets
`wear Vicis prototypes to get an idea of what customers will see and feel. An empty room is being readied for an
`assembly line scheduled to start churning out the Zero1 this spring.
`
`Marver, 47, played football growing up in Cincinnati but gave it up for golf because he thought he was too small.
`A fan of both his hometown Bengals and Seattle’s Seahawks, he once sold pacemakers and other devices for
`Medtronic and more recently was CEO of a maker of defibrillators. “I grew up in medical tech, which is why the
`issue with helmets doesn’t scare me,” he says. “We are a medical technology company addressing a public
`health problem.”
`
`Sam Browd is a neurosurgeon with the Sports Concussion Program at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. Among the
`thousands of young athletes he has seen are many in their early teens who have already suffered multiple
`concussions and need to quit playing their sport. “It was striking to me how emotional that conversation [is] for
`the kid and his parents,” Browd says. Some of his patients have college scholarships on the line. “It’s not
`uncommon for me to make moms cry,” Browd says, “so it was particularly touching to see dads cry, too.”
`
`Two-and-a-half years ago, Browd, who also teaches at the University of Washington, reached out to Per
`Reinhall, a lanky Swede who prefers hockey to football and chairs UW’s mechanical engineering department.
`Reinhall at the time was working separately on technology to dull the vibrational din of pile drivers used in
`bridge and dock construction, which can hurt aquatic life.
`
`Over coffee, Browd and Reinhall made sketches and swapped helmet ideas, like fashioning an outer shell of
`tectonic plates that would disperse the energy of hits by shifting on impact. Eventually, they recruited Marver,
`with his sales experience, to their effort. “I didn’t want this to be a science project,” Browd says. “You have to
`commercialize it to make it real to people.”
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`4/9
`
`

`
`6/27/2016
`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`Vicis founders, from left: Dave Marver, Sam Browd, and Per Reinhall.
`
`Source: Vicis
`The trio formed Vicis, a Latin word meaning change. “It’s also a sharp, fierce-sounding name that implies
`speed,” Marver says. Browd’s tectonic-plate concept morphed into an “inside-out” helmet with a softer outer
`shell. The idea echoes the thinking of auto engineers who determined long ago that crushable materials and
`structures are better at protecting car occupants because they absorb energy as they collapse.
`
`By slowing the impact—even by mere milliseconds—the crumpling eases the acceleration factor in Newton’s
`Second Law of Motion (force = mass x acceleration). Riddell’s popular SpeedFlex helmet, with a deformable
`flap on the forehead, reflects similar thinking. Vicis chose a stiffer plastic for an inner core that guards against
`skull fractures.
`
`Marver, Reinhall, and Browd appeared before the W Fund, an early-stage venture vehicle affiliated with UW.
`Reinhall displayed a palm-size square of pink material. Slender vertical struts were sandwiched between thin
`plastic wafers. The fund invested $1 million, and Reinhall’s pink prop became a black, 1.5-inch-thick layer of
`hundreds of tightly spaced struts fitted within the contours of the Zero1’s inner and outer cores.
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`5/9
`
`

`
`6/27/2016
`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`Close-up of inner layer with buckling struts.
`
`Source: Vicis
`Like miniature shock absorbers, the struts buckle and flex on impact, sucking up energy before it reaches a
`player’s brain. The design was inspired by principles articulated by Swiss physicist Leonhard Euler in the 1700s
`that are now a foundation of structural engineering.
`
`“It was tricky because players don’t want to play with a marshmallow on their heads,” Marver says. “That’s why
`we were stoked to find an outer shell material that felt traditional—hard, shiny, paintable—but deformed locally
`upon impact.” All he’ll say about the material is that it’s a polymer plastic used in the auto industry. You can
`make a shallow dent in it with a thumb; it bounces back when you release.
`
`Using finite element modeling, a method of digitally simulating a product’s real-world performance, Vicis
`engineers kept varying the number, position, and spacing of the buckling struts. They fitted multiple versions
`inside prototype helmets and tested them against Riddell and Schutt models in a UW lab. They dropped
`helmets from varying heights onto a hard rubber pad, mimicking the method used to certify NFL helmets, and
`slammed them from various angles with a weighted pendulum. A 3D print shop on the floor below finally
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`6/9
`
`

`
`6/27/2016
`complained about the constant thudding.
`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`Early Zero1 versions have consistently performed 20 percent to 50 percent better than Riddell and Schutt
`models, Marver says, especially in simulations of the glancing rotational blows that researchers think may play a
`larger role in concussions. Tests on the most recent prototypes have yet to be verified by an independent lab.
`
`Vicis also hopes to reduce head trauma by offering a better fit. Traditional helmet sizes are small, medium,
`large, and extra large. Some models contain padding that can be inflated with air to fine-tune fit. Last spring,
`Vicis staffers used calipers to measure the lengths and breadths of the craniums of 150 Seahawk and UW
`players. Vicis used the data to create a dozen different sizes and configurations to accommodate varying head
`shapes.
`
`Vicis hired the Seattle design firm Artefact to help with the Zero1’s look. “We had the challenge of introducing
`new technology into a very old, established, and somewhat conservative market,” Executive Director Fernd van
`Engelen says. They drew heavily on automotive tropes. “A football helmet is built like a sports car,” proclaims
`the headline atop a slide in Artefact’s design presentation to Vicis. Like a car body, the outer shell should
`connote “speed and stance” with “clean lines.”
`
`From the outside, the Zero1 shown to Bloomberg Businessweek doesn’t look dramatically different from some
`Riddell and Schutt models. It bears some resemblance to Riddell’s SpeedFlex, from its sleek contours to the
`stylized vents and ear holes angling toward the helmet’s rear. Marver says Vicis’s helmet will be comparable in
`weight and dimensions to current models.
`
`Source: Vicis
`It won’t be close on price. While most adult helmets retail for $200 to $400, the Zero1 will sell for $1,500. That
`may not be a problem for NFL and top college teams, but Marver concedes it’s out of reach for budget-
`constrained high schools and youth leagues, with their 3 million-plus players. Pro and college players have
`more say than their younger counterparts in which helmets they wear.
`
`That leaves Vicis aiming at a small piece of a market that isn’t big to start with. Former Xenith CEO Chuck
`Huggins guesses high-end customers might buy 50,000 helmets a year. “I just don’t know how you’re gonna
`run a company on that size of market,” he says. Huggins’s successor at Xenith, Joe Esposito, says inertia may
`pose the biggest challenge: “It’s the same guys selling the same helmets to the same people over the last 20
`years.”
`
`In Riddell and Schutt, Vicis will battle against companies with vast sales and dealer networks. Seattle
`entrepreneur Gary Rubens passed on investing in Vicis even though he says he admires Marver and his
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`7/9
`
`

`
`6/27/2016
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`mission. “It’s tough to go into a market where you’ve got these huge companies that sort of control it,” Rubens
`says.
`
`Vicis helmet form liner components.
`
`Source: Vicis
`Few people outside Vicis have seen the Zero1. The company plans to show it publicly for the first time this week
`at a coaches conference in San Antonio. Independent sources such as Virginia Tech will soon be testing and
`rating it. Dana Marquez, assistant athletic director of equipment operations at Auburn University, says he likes
`what he’s heard about Vicis’s internal tests, but wants to see how the helmet performs on the field. Human
`heads may behave differently than the crash-dummy heads used in the lab, particularly at different
`temperatures and impact angles, he says.
`
`If Vicis can persuade enough people like Marquez that its helmets are safer than others, the company could
`expand its technology to lacrosse, hockey, and soccer—a market that could approach $300 million by 2020,
`according to a recent study by BCC Research of Wellesley, Mass. The study assumes prices will rise as
`manufacturers seek to curb concussion risk. Marver is betting the market will exceed $500 million.
`
`Vicis’s initial sales targets will be the 32 NFL teams and 30 to 40 top colleges. Eventually it hopes to develop
`lower-priced models for high school and youth ball. The company plans to ship 1,500 helmets this year,
`ratcheting that up to 15,000 by 2018. “Year one is not about making money,” Marver says. “It’s about making
`the helmet as good as we can.”
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`8/9
`
`

`
`This Football Helmet Crumples—and That’s Good
`
`6/27/2016
`Editor: Nick Summers
`Graphic: Christopher Cannon
`Digital Producer: Emily Engelman
`Jun 09, 2016
`
`http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-vicis-football-helmet/
`
`9/9
`
`

`
`7/13/2016
`
`How Seattle Startup Vicis Created the Zero1, the Helmet That Could Save Football | Inc.com
`
`
`
`DESIGN
`
`How This Seattle Startup Created the Helmet That
`Could Save Football
`With the Zero1, Seattle-based Vicis has created a helmet that could reduce the
`chance of concussions. Here's how the company did it.
`
`BY KEVIN J. RYAN
`
` @
`wheresKR
`
`The Zero1 helmet. CREDIT: Courtesy company
`
`Sunday night marks the 50th Super Bowl in NFL history. The sport has never been more
`popular: More than 114 million Americans watched last year's game, and that number has
`climbed nearly every year since 2002.
`
`But it's impossible to know where the sport will be in another 50 years. The discovery and
`
`prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the basis of the 2015 movie
`http://www.inc.com/kevin­j­ryan/how­this­startup­designed­the­helmet­that­could­save­the­nfl.html
`
`1/4
`
`

`
`How Seattle Startup Vicis Created the Zero1, the Helmet That Could Save Football | Inc.com
`7/13/2016
`prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the basis of the 2015 movie
`Concussion, has exposed just how dangerous the sport really is. Traumatic brain injury
`through repeated blows to the head and concussions can cause parts of the brain to atrophy.
`Hall of Famer Junior Seau, who was later learned to have CTE, committed suicide in 2012;
`more recently, former star receiver Antwaan Randle El revealed that, at age 36, he has trouble
`going down stairs and suffers from bouts of forgetfulness. Over 5,000 former players have sued
`the league over the brain injuries suffered during their careers, and a slew of high-profile
`former NFL players and coaches have said they won't let their children play the game.
`
`One thing is clear: If football safety doesn't change soon, America's most popular sport will be
`in jeopardy.
`
`Enter Vicis, a Seattle startup whose self-appointed mission
`is to create a helmet that reduces the risk of concussions.
`The company's first product, the Zero1, features a pliable
`outer layer and an impact-absorbing core layer that
`cushions the wearer's head against violent collisions--all,
`for the most part, while maintaining the look and shape of
`a classic helmet. The company has received $10 million in
`funding, including a $500,000 grant from the NFL. The
`helmets will be available to NFL and college players this
`spring.
`
`Ideas fill a whiteboard in Vicis's Seattle office.
`CREDIT: Courtesy Company
`
`Sam Browd, a neurosurgeon and the medical director of the Seattle Sports Concussion
`Program, came up with the idea behind Vicis (pronounced VYE-sis). Browd, who specializes in
`pediatric concussions, had grown tired of telling athletes they had no choice but to hang up
`their equipment for good--while still in their teens. In 2013, he founded the company with
`fellow University of Washington professor Per Reinhall, who chairs the school's mechanical
`engineering program, and Dave Marver, recruited to be the business brains behind the
`operation.
`
`"It was clear once we looked at the space that the current helmet companies weren't
`introducing a lot of innovation--that the industry was ripe for disruption," Marver tells Inc.
`"And we felt like we could make a difference."
`
`The driving concept behind the Zero1 helmet is a physics formula: force = mass X acceleration.
`Adding more time to the moment of impact decreases the acceleration, which in turn
`decreases the force put on the player's brain. To accomplish this, the Vicis team created a
`helmet with some give. The outer shell bends when pressed--pushing down with a finger can
`cause an indentation--and then regains it