Florida Trademark Application Deemed “Scandalous”
The Smoking Gun reports that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has rejected a Florida man’s trademark application for the term "Obama bin Laden," ruling that the conflation of the names of a U.S. Senator and the world’s leading terrorist was "scandalous" and erroneously suggested a connection between the politician and the mass murderer.
The United States Patent & Trademark Office decided on February 6, 2007 not to register the trademark. Examining Attorney Karen K. Bush informed the Applicant, Alexandre Batlle, of the decision via an Office Action.
Batlle, a 28-year-old Miami Beach resident, filed the applciation last month, desiring to use the trademark on hats, shirts, pins, and bumper stickers. In addition to refusing to register the trademark due to "scandalous refusal" and "false association," Attorney Bush also cited the lack of written consent by either Barack Obama or Osama bin Laden, the names of the living individuals identified in the proposed mark.
Battle reportedly informed The Smoking Gun that he does not plan to appeal the decision, adding that his primary objective was to "make a quick buck." He had planned on selling the merchandise under the trademark through obamabinladen.net, which he registered on January 19, 2007, the same day he filed the trademark application.