In a move that surprised very few, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has denied LeBron James's request to trademark the phrase "Taco Tuesday." Over the summer, the Los Angeles Lakers star's "Taco Tuesday" social media bit has gained traction as fans have looked forward to LeBron sharing moments with his family and superstar friends.
In turn, LeBron thought that he could capitalize from the moment by trademarking the phrase, but news of his request came with backlash. The owner of an Illinois restaurant filed a protest against LeBron's trademark request citing that their company, Taco Tuesday, Inc., has been in business for the past three years. "Protestor's company would be crippled if precluded from using its own business name in Internet marketing channels," the owner wrote in a letter. "The quality of being a person who enjoys eating tacos (and posting to social media about one's experience in eating tacos deemed delicious) does not give rise to a cognizable claim to trademark ownership,"
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On Wednesday, it was revealed that LeBron won't be the owner of "Taco Tuesday" because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office deems it to be a "commonplace message." Unfortunately for the baller, it's not a trademarkable phrase. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that LeBron will slow down on sharing his lighthearted videos to social media. LeBron's team later commented that the point of the NBA player filing for a trademark was to make it public that he cannot, under any circumstances, be sued for using the phrase in the future. They're pleased with the outcome and the proof that "Taco Tuesday" is commonplace.
