WWE denied permission to trademark ring names of Pete Dunne, Drew Gulak, and others
According to a report from HeelByNature.com, numerous trademarks filed by WWE have been denied by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. WWE filed to trademark the ring names of WWE Superstars Pete Dunne, Drew Gulak, and Tony Nese, along with the name "Justus" on July 30th.
The names of former NXT United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, former NXT Cruiserweight Champions Drew Gulak, and Tony Nese are relatively well-known. However, it is not clear why WWE wanted to trademark the name of "Justus" or which Superstar the promotion intends to give it to.
The USPTO cited the reason why they did not permit WWE to trademark the above-mentioned names is due to lack of written consent from the Superstars who already perform under the filed names.
The USTPO sent the following statement to WWE on October 6th, which explains why permission was denied:
To register a mark that consists of or comprises the name of a particular living individual, including a first name, pseudonym, stage name, or nickname, an applicant must provide a written consent personally signed by the named individual.
Accordingly, if the name in the mark does not identify a particular living individual, applicant must submit a statement to that effect (e.g., “The name shown in the mark does not identify a particular living individual.”).
However, if the name in the mark does identify a particular living individual, applicant must submit both of the following:
(1) The following statement: “The name(s) shown in the mark identifies a living individual(s) whose consent(s) to register is made of record.” If the name is a pseudonym, stage name, or nickname, applicant must provide the following statement: “<specify assumed name> identifies <specify actual name>, a living individual whose consent is of record.”
(2) A written consent, personally signed by the named individual(s), as follows: “I, <specify name>, consent to the use and registration of my name, <name>, as a trademark and/or service mark with the USPTO.”
WWE's attempt to file trademarks in the past
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, WWE has filed to trademark not only ring names and nicknames of Superstars in the past few months, but also names of old shows such as Saturday Morning Slam and Saturday Night's Main Event.