The Buckeye State took two “Ls” from the United States Patent Office on Wednesday.
On the same day that the Ohio State University’s trademark application for the word “THE” was rejected, LeBron James was also denied his request to patent the term “Taco Tuesday.” As most fans know, James is from Akron, Ohio,
King James had created a social media sensation with “Taco Tuesday” when he enthusiastically promoted his Tuesday night meals with the famous Mexican dish on Instagram and Twitter for the past several months.
But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday rejected the trademark attempted by LBJ Trademarks because “Taco Tuesday” is “a commonplace term.”
“The applied-for mark 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 message,” the USPTO wrote.
But the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, 34, concluded that he accomplished what he wanted because now he knows he cannot be sued for using the term “Taco Tuesday.”
The USPTO cited multiple restaurants nationwide advertising “Taco Tuesday” as a “widely used message used by various parties to express enthusiasm for tacos by promoting and celebrating them on a dedicated weekday.”
Moreover, there is a restaurant in Woodale, Illinois that is actually called Taco Tuesday, Inc.. The owner of the restaurant was afraid that if LeBron had won, their business would be imperiled because they would no longer be able to market and advertise their products and specials.
Ever the capitalist, LeBron definitely was going to try to monetize “Taco Tuesday” if he had won the rights to the term, but indicated that his team had not come up with a business plan yet.
