Cody’s Application to Trademark Dusty Rhodes Issued Refusal

– Cody has hit a snag in his attempt to trademark his father Dusty Rhodes’ ring name, as the USPTO has issued a refusal of the attempt. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that the trademark office issued the refusal due to the name being too similar to Dustin Rhodes, which Dustin himself owns the trademark to.

The refusal notice says that as both filings relate to “wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer,” there could be confusion between them. It additionally states:

Here, the marks share one term, “RHODES”, and a highly similar term “DUSTY/DUSTIN”, and share the same overall commercial impression of that of a surname and given name, respectively. Given the high similarity in appearance, sound, and meaning of the marks, the marks are confusingly similar.

Cody’s lawyer told the site that they’re discussing the next steps but are confident that the trademark will end up registered. At this point, mthey can either file an appeal or get approval from Dustin Rhodes as the owner of the registration for the mark that would cause confusion.