Travis Kelce, This is Him Trying (to Register Trademarks)
Lauren Konrai-Mori
On October 30, 2023, Travis Kelce, NFL star and rumored boyfriend of music superstar Taylor Swift, applied to register five new trademarks at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The applications were filed through Kelce’s Ohio-based companies, TMK Enterprises LLC and Kelce Food Group LLC, and include Kelce’s name, as well as KILLATRAV, ALRIGHT NAH, FLIGHT 87 and KELCE’S KRUNCH. Some of the goods and services with which he plans to use the marks include lapel pins, printed posters, clothing apparel, buttons, bobblehead dolls, breakfast cereals, promoting the goods and services of others, and personal appearances by a sports celebrity.
Kelce Doubles His Trademark Portfolio
These new filings more than double Kelce’s trademark portfolio, as he had previously applied to register several other marks, including TRAVIS KELCE’S KITCHEN, TKOLORS, TK and TRU KOLORS.
But Travis’ IP holdings pale in comparison to those of Taylor, who has more than 200 trademarks filed with the USPTO. Maybe Kelce is taking trademark pointers from Taylor’s playbook.
Kelce’s efforts to add to his portfolio raises two questions:
1) is it common for athletes to register their names, nicknames, or phrases as trademarks, and
2) why should an athlete do so?
Well, to answer the first question, it is not unusual at all for athletes and celebrities to register their names, nicknames and phrases as trademarks. Some notable examples include LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Tebow, and Johnny Manziel. LeBron James recently filed a trademark application for his name on March 4, 2022, for various types of non-fungible related goods and services. Shaquille O'Neal owns a handful of trademarks, some of which include DUNKMAN for jewelry, watches, and clothing and SHAQ ATTAQ for footwear. Tim Tebow had a registered trademark for TEBOWING for clothing but let the registration lapse in 2019. And former Cleveland Browns quarterback, Johnny Manziel, filed 18 trademark applications through his Ohio company, JMan2 Enterprises LLC, three of which are still registered: two registrations for COMEBACK$ZN and JOHNNY FOOTBALL for clothing.
To answer the second question, yes, athletes should apply to register their names, nicknames and phrases as trademarks. More and more, today’s athletes are expanding their personal brands beyond their individual sports. And a trademark can be used to protect someone’s brand and allow them to stop others from using their brand without their permission. When an athlete is well-known for their name, a nickname, or a phrase, a trademark allows that athlete exclusive rights to use their name, nickname, or phrase for commercial purposes. They can prevent other people and companies from monetizing their name, nickname, or phrase without their consent for things like merchandise, apparel, stickers, posters, etc.
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