Cybaris® Volume 7 | Issue 2 Article 3 2016 What’s in a Name, Brother—Profit or Publicity: An Analysis of Trademarking Ring Names in Professional Wrestling Alissa M. Harrington Follow this and additional works at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/cybaris Part of the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, Intellectual Property Law Commons, and the Marketing Law Commons Recommended Citation Harrington, Alissa M. (2016) "What’s in a Name, Brother—Profit or ubP licity: An Analysis of Trademarking Ring Names in Professional Wrestling," Cybaris®: Vol. 7: Iss. 2, Article 3. Available at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/cybaris/vol7/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at Mitchell Hamline Open Access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cybaris® by an authorized administrator of Mitchell Hamline Open Access. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. © Mitchell Hamline School of Law Harrington: What’s in a Name, Brother—Profit or Publicity: An Analysis of Tra WHAT’S IN A NAME, BROTHER—PROFIT OR PUBLICITY: AN ANALYSIS OF TRADEMARKING RING NAMES IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING 1 ALISSA M. HARRINGTON I.! INTRODUCTION: ENTER THE WRESTLERS ...................... 277! II.! LAYING DOWN THE LAW: TRADEMARKS AND NAMES .............................................................................................. 279! A.! LANHAM ACT AND NAMES .................................................... 279! B.! TMEP—TRADEMARK MANUAL OF EXAMINING PROCEDURE ON NAMES .................................................................. 279! C.! TMEP—AUTHORITIES FOR NAMES AS TRADEMARKS .......... 281! 1.! In re Lee Trevino ............................................................... 281! 2.! In re Burger King Corp.—BURGER KING ...................... 282! 3.! In re Steak & Ale Restaurants—PRINCE CHARLES ....... 283! 4.! In re Carson—JOHNNY CARSON ................................... 284! 5.! In re Whataburger—WHAT-APOTAMUS .......................