Here at LIPS we believe only one person should have the right to that, and he’s dead. We hope his estate challenges both parties in this ridiculous story of chasing the mighty merch dollar
First a great song …
The Advocate reports…
Someone will almost certainly profit off of Zion Williamson’s surprise draft night catchphrase — but he’ll have to compete with his new NBA team for the right to “let’s dance.”
Both the No. 1 overall draft pick and the New Orleans Pelicans filed trademark requests for his new catchphrase just hours after he first said it on the NBA draft stage.
Williamson’s words quickly began to circulate on social media and throughout New Orleans, with at least one person showing off a freshly-inked tattoo of those words on social media.
The odd trademark race was first reported by attorney Josh Gerben, who said trademark law dictates that any competing requests would go to the party that filed first, in this case the Pelicans. But he laughed off the idea that any competition for the rights might have been intended.
“This appears to be very much a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing,” he said. “It would be very unlikely … [the Pelicans] would want a trademark dispute with their new superstar. And it’s very likely that the parties work this out.”
According to both parties’ trademark applications, the Pelicans submitted their bid for the phrase at 2:30 p.m. Friday, just 90 minutes before the eventual start of the press conference to officially introduce Williamson at the team’s facility. Williamson submitted his own application at 7:37 p.m.
The four trademark requests in Williamson’s name are for such items as toys, clothing and athletic wear, bags and luggage, and computer games and mobile applications.
The Pelicans’ pair of requests include video games, educational and entertainment services and appearances as well as clothing and accessories.
All six requests are listed as accepted and will be assigned to an examining attorney in three months, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.
Williamson drew laughter during his press conference as he explained where the phrase originated, a story that included a plot twist: Thanos — the notorious Marvel villain — is his favorite character in the series.
He said as he and a friend were watching the summer blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame,” he was thrilled because he thought his favorite character might win.
