Jae C. Hong/AP
LeBron James.
- LeBron James was denied his trademark request on the phrase "Taco Tuesday."
- A spokesperson for James told ESPN that the outcome was still good for James, as the the fact that the phrase is "commonplace" means he couldn't be sued for using it in the future.
- James applied for the trademark after sharing viral videos of himself and his family enjoying Taco Tuesdays.
- $4.
LeBron James' effort to trademark the phrase "Taco Tuesday" has failed.
$4, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused James' application, saying that "Taco Tuesday" is "a commonplace term."
Still, James was reportedly pleased with the outcome. "Finding 'Taco Tuesday' as commonplace achieves precisely what the intended outcome was, which was getting the U.S. government to recognize that someone cannot be sued for its use," a spokesperson for James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
James applied for the trademark after he began posting Taco Tuesday posts on his social media channels, showing his family enjoying, you guessed it, tacos on Tuesdays.
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Many scoffed at James' trademark attempt, as "Taco Tuesday" is, as the government decided, an extremely common phrase, but according to James' spokesperson everything went according to plan.
James wasn't the only sports figure to be denied a bold trademark claim in recent days. On Wednesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office also rejected Ohio State University's attempt to trademark the term "The."
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James is one of the most powerful figures in the world in terms of branding and marketing, but even in his impressive empire, Taco Tuesday belongs to the world.
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