Independent wrestlers Hale Collins and Vik Dalishus are accusing WWE of infringing on their copyright for the term “The Now.” WWE uses this for United States Champion Austin Theory.
According to a report by The Hudson Valley Post, the two wrestlers wrestled on the indie circuit as The Now. Vik Dalishus has claimed they have sent cease and desist orders to the company on the use of the term as they trademarked the name in 2006.
The Claim
Dalishustalked to the media outlet about WWE’s alleged infringement of their trademark.
“My initial reaction was shock, because of the fact that we have had it copyrighted since 2006, and there’s many people in WWE who know Hale and I, know our names, and know we own it.”
Dalishus noted that WWE acknowledged one of the letters they sent and claimed they would look into it, but the company has continued to use the nickname on television.
Dalishus continued, “Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.”
Theory is slated to wrestle John Cena with the United States Title on the line at WrestleMania 39 this April.
