Back in July, WWE bought EVOLVE Wrestling and recently started to add content from the former developmental territory to its streaming service, WWE Network.
Recent filings show that WWE is having issues with getting the trademark rights to the name after acquiring the independent promotion.
It turns out that the former owner, Salem Hamaoui, filed for the trademark in November 2019. The United States Patent and Trademark Office initially refused the application because of in-proper documentation attached to the filing.
“Registration is refused because the specimen does not show the applied-for mark in use in commerce in connection with any of the goods and/or services specified in the application.”
When Hamaoui didn’t respond to the notice, the trademark was abandoned. Fast forward to August 4th, Lauren A. Dienes-Middlen, who is an attorney for WWE, filed a notice to revive the application and change ownership.
On August 25th, the trademark office sent a notice to the company that the trademark filing cannot move forward. The reason for that is due to confusion with a trademark for “EF EVOLVED FIGHTS MIXED WRESTLING”.
Now, WWE has six months to respond to the United States Patent and Trademark Office regarding the trademark.
H/T to Heel By Nature
