Cody Rhodes has been rejected for his attempt to file a trademark that hits close to home for him.
The AEW Executive Vice President recently filed to trademark the name of his late father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes. However, that filing was turned down for an unexpected reason.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reached out to Cody’s legal team about the trademark filing being rejected. The team noted they are confident that this will not be a problem in the end.
Back in November, the trademark appeared to be done and Cody had ownership rights. That changed when the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) issued a refusal last week.
The reason for that is due to the name being too similar to Dustin Rhodes, a trademark already owned by Dustin. The filing states the following:
“Here, the marks share one term, “RHODES”, and a highly similar term ‘DUSTY/DUSTIN’, and share the same overall commercial impression of that of a surname and given name, respectively. Given the high similarity in appearance, sound, and meaning of the marks, the marks are confusingly similar.”
It also notes that both filings relating to the use description of “entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer” could be the case of confusion.
Next Step For Cody Rhodes Attempt
Per the report, the team told the media outlet that they are in talks to take next in order to acquire the trademark and are sure they will still be able to secure the trademark.
Cody has two options right now with the trademark, which is to file an appeal or get approval from the owner of the registration that is causing the trademark to be rejected.
