LeBron James' Trademark Application for "Taco Tuesday" Officially Rejected (UPDATE)

UPDATE (September 11, 2019):  Following the announcement earlier this month that Lebron James had applied to trademark “Taco Tuesday,” the United States Patent and Trademark Office has officially shut down the athlete’s request. According to Josh Gerben of Gerben Law Firm, the office argued that the phrase cannot “function as a trademark” due to it being a “commonplace message.” Gerben also pointed out that a trademark for “Techno Taco Tuesday” is already in place, with an Illinois-based company named Taco Tuesday, Inc. also disputing the trademark application because the restaurant “specializes in taco sales.” You can check out Gerben’s full legal analysis of the decision below. 

James’ company, LBJ Trademarks LLC, initially hoped to use the phrase for a variety of “online entertainment services” including podcasts, social media posts, and more, causing a viral social media stir earlier this month surrounding the popular food phrase. 

The USPTO has refused the TACO TUESDAY trademark application filed by Lebron James’ company LBJ Trademarks, LLC.

The refusal, issued at 6:26 PM today, finds that TACO TUESDAY is a “commonplace message” and therefore fails to function as a trademark.#TacoTuesday

My analysis👇 pic.twitter.com/eKcW2l1CnH

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) September 12, 2019

ORIGINAL STORY (September 1, 2019): LeBron James is making headlines outside of the NBA in his recent trademark filing for the phrase “Taco Tuesday.” The basketball superstar and entrepreneur’s LBJ Trademarks LLC company was reported to have filled for the trademark on August 15 with the intentions to use it for “advertising and marketing services” across social media platforms and podcasts.

While this is not the first time James has shown the world his love for tacos, it does prove to be an interesting direction for him as he ventures in businesses outside of the sport of basketball.

For more news, Lewis Hamilton launches meatless burger chain “Neat Burger.”

Do really people care about LeBron filing to trademark “Taco Tuesday?” Perspective: I’ve been on Twitter for 10 1/2 years. I have never had more than 100,000 votes on ANY TOPIC. Until now… pic.twitter.com/rkokgcjfmY

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 1, 2019

A company owned by Lebron James, LBJ Trademarks LLC, has filed a trademark for TACO TUESDAY.

The filing indicates Lebron intends to continue offering his popular ‘TACO TUESDAY’ posts on social media and launch a podcast under the name.

My analysis 👇#TacoTuesday pic.twitter.com/lXFwIEy4Py

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) August 31, 2019

JUST IN: LeBron James leaves no potential business opportunity on the table. Over time, he has sought to own “Taco Tuesday.” He has now filed to trademark the phrase for social media posts and a show of that name. First discovered by @JoshGerben pic.twitter.com/IXNduvilzR

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 31, 2019