Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
Well, at least he tried. LeBron James attempt at trademarking his new favorite phrase “Taco Tuesday” was rejected on Wednesday (September 11) by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Unless you been under a rock for the past few months, Bron takes to Instagram to remind us on Tuesday’s that the James Gang enjoys tacos on that particular day of the week. LBJ’s use of “Taco Tuesday” became quite popular among his fans, James definitely noticed hence why he even attempted to trademark it. Unfortunately, his attempt was rejected like one of his chase-down blocks he is famous for on the court.
According to the patent office, the phrase is “a commonplace term, message or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment.” .The patent office cited multiple news articles pointing out how widely used the term is “to express enthusiasm for tacos by promoting and celebrating them on a dedicated weekday.”
The patent office also pointed out how similar the phrase is to “Techno Taco Tuesday” that is already trademarked by a company in Las Vegas. They stated, “merely omitting some of the wording from a registered mark may not overcome a likelihood of confusion.” Despite taking an L, James team is looking at the decision in a positive light, basically saying the office gave Bron what he wanted all along. A spokesperson claimed that with the patent office refusing to trademark the phrase, it offered LBJ protection from liability if he used “Taco Tuesday” in other mediums.
“If this opens the door for ‘Taco Tuesday’ to be open to everybody, all the better. That would be a great outcome of this. The entire purpose of this is to protect Lebron and subsequently everybody else.”
Bron and his team have six months to challenge the patent office’s decision. But, according to Josh Gerben, a lawyer who specializes in trademarks it’s unlikely he will.
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Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty
Source: HipHopWired.com
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