Jersey Shore and soon to be DWTS personality Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino had his request to trademark “The Situation” denied.
Sorrentino and his representatives wisely submitted a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark “The Situation” for a line of t-shirts and, of course, underwear. “The Situation” is the nickname that Sorrentino bestowed upon himself and his now-famous abdominal muscles. His is a six-pack for the ages but alas, he will not be able to profit off a bunch of crap with “The Situation” cheaply screen printed on it.
The reason for the denial is because there was already a trademark for “Situation” issued last year to a Memphis retailer selling apparel and shoes. Government lawyer Simon Teng cited a “likelihood of confusion” if a “The Situation” trademark was registered.
The Smoking Gun got their hands on a copy of the appeal which included the following laughable explanation of “The Situation’s” business situation:
“The target market for Applicant’s products are teenagers and young adults who are viewers of “The Jersey Shore” MTV program. The recent season finale, airing on January 21st, 2010, drew 4.8 million viewers and a 4.8 rating in the age 12-34 demographic, making it MTV’s highest rated show in MTV history, as well as the highest rated in this age demographic. MTV is broadcast in over 166 countries, and the Applicant’s products are available for sale worldwide over the internet.”
This makes two-strikes for Jersey Shore cast members trying to get some trademark ovah here. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi had her request to trademark “Snooki” rejected because of its similarity to the children’s book “Adventures of Snooky” about a cat who falls overboard while fishing. Meow!
