LeBron James prevents Carnival Cruise Line from trademarking "King James"

Since LeBron James started playing for the league in 2003, he's earned the name 'King James'. With multiple championships and an impressive basketball IQ, James is considered the greatest of all time by many. As per recent reports, the four-time NBA champion was recently involved in a trademark issue, where a cruise line was attempting to secure the name he has become synonymous with - 'King James'. 

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LeBron James stops Carnival Cruise Line’s attempt to trademark ‘King James’

LeBron James has blocked Carnival Cruise Line's attempt to register a trademark for KING JAMES.

Carnival's trademark filing indicated it wanted to use KING JAMES as the name of a ship.

LeBron filed a formal opposition to the application last week. 👇#KingJames#LeBronJames pic.twitter.com/UPgQokkgiW

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) November 25, 2020

According to Gerben Law Firm's Josh Gerben, the Carnival Cruise Line applied to acquire the 'King James' trademark, apparently aware of its connection with James and his legacy. While the words could be suitable for their vessel, James was seemingly unhappy about the ordeal. As per Gerben, the Lakers star applied for opposition to their application last week, preventing them from taking the name. 

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Even last year, James has reportedly stopped one man from using King James for his own profit. This has occurred multiple times, as James is undeniably attached to the name.

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Earlier this year, James himself was accused of copying his "More Than an Athlete" slogan. A Maryland non-profit organization which works on youth development, Game Plan Inc., had filed a lawsuit against James’ UNINTERRUPTED media company, Disney, Nike and Take-Two Interactiasve Software Inc. for allegedly copying their slogan. They have reportedly used the phrase ‘I Am More Than An Athlete’ since 2016 and trademarked it in 2018. 

UNINTERRUPTED had ended up responding to the accusation, giving a statement to TMZ. They had reportedly trademarked the phrase even before Game Plan. However, the company accused James and had seen the phrase on the shirts worn by their staff members during a 2017 NBA game when they clicked a photo with the Washington Wizards star, John Wall. The company sued the other companies for at least $33 million due to the profits made by the slogan's use.

Apart from this, James has previously tried to trademark "Taco Tuesday". However, the United States Patent and Trademark Office turned down his application. An ESPN spokesperson explained that the phrase is common and James cannot be sued for it in the future.

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(Image credits: LeBron James Instagram)