Thread by @JoshGerben

There is a trademark battle underway in Kentucky.

The University of Kentucky has opposed a trademark application for "TEAM KENTUCKY" filed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The University claims that it owns the word KENTUCKY when it comes to clothing products.

#Kentucky

[2]

You did not see this wrong.

The University of Kentucky and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are engaged in a trademark battle over who owns the trademark for KENTUCKY when it comes to clothing.

[3]

The University of Kentucky is claiming that consumers are likely to think any clothing products sold by the state government using the trademark "TEAM KENTUCKY" are actually products sold by the University.

[4]

This is about as silly as trademark cases get.

That said, the USPTO did grant the University of Kentucky a federal trademark registration on the word KENTUCKY for a brand of clothing.

[5]

The federal trademark registration grants the University of Kentucky the "presumption of national ownership" around the word KENTUCKY as it relates to clothing.

[6]

Nevertheless, the University of Kentucky's case is likely to fail given that the Commonwealth of Kentucky's mark is for "TEAM KENTUCKY" (as opposed to just the word KENTUCKY) and there are many other KENTUCKY-formative marks in the clothing space.

[7]

It is a head scratcher as to why the case even got this far.

The parties presumably were in settlement talks before a formal legal action was filed.

Grab your popcorn!

Here is a link to the case file:
ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=…