Overview
Joanne Ludovici said that “unlike attempts to trademark trending phrases that have fallen into the national lexicon,” companies attempting to trademark variations on “Cecil the Lion” for their goods and services may be able to proceed to registration “if the marks are actually used in US commerce and if those uses are trademark in nature.” Ms. Ludovici added that “it will be interesting to watch how they all make their way through the USPTO examination process,” given that some registrations were filed on the same day in the same classes.