Trademark laws are pretty useful tools when trying to defend your company’s intellectual property. Many a corporate law firm has used them to stave off copy cats and imitators attempting to rip their clients off. However, many of these corporate lawyers have also tried to claim some pretty ridiculous things as the intellectual property of their clients.
Here are a few of the weirdest things protected under trademark law.
“Snooki.”
Reality TV star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi once attempted to trademark her nickname in 2010, and — believe it or not — failed. The United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected Snooki’s claim because they were worried that some consumers might confuse her with the feline star Snooky from a children’s book, which, according to trademark law, already owns the trademark.
“Bozo.”
Thomas Jefferson “Bozo” Williams founded Bozo’s Fire Pit Bar-B-Q in 1923. Over 50 years later, the restaurant used trademark laws to claim ownership of the word “Bozo” in 1982. About half a decade later, a certain clown was not too happy about that. Bozo the clown decided to take a stab at being a restaurateur in the late 1980s, but found he couldn’t use his clown name commercially because of trademark laws.
“19-0”
The “19-0” trademark law case is one of poetic justice. In 2008, the New England Patriots had a perfect season and expected to end it perfectly with a Superbowl win, giving them a “19-0” season, so they decided to trademark “19-0.” Weeks before their game, the trademark was rejected, which is actually rather lucky for them, since the New York Giants crushed them. Funnily enough, the Giants then tried to trademark “18-1.”
Corporate attorneys will do just about anything for their clients, even trying to trademark some pretty ridiculous things like names. If you know of any other wild trademarks, feel free to share in the comments. Read more articles like this.
