It takes a lot for an in use sample at the Trademark Office to get me to laugh but this one did it. Lucasfilm (Disney) has opposed a very suspicion trademark for LEIA on products such as knives and tattoo machines saying it is too confusing to Princess Leia.
We just have to start with this in use sample and then we shall proceed.
This is by far the shadiest specimen I have ever seen submitted to the USPTO. With the specimen, Li Jin, an individual from China, is proving that he is in fact using the LEIA trademark to sell products. I have never seen a knife individually labeled (unless it was a fancy one) or with a roughly hand cut out label. Something stinks with this trademark.
Not only is Mr. Li trying to register this mark for knives but also for other items including: “abrading tools; apparatus for tattooing; depilation appliances, electric and non-electric; electric hair curling irons; electric hair straightener; fruit knives; gardening tools, namely, trowels, weeding forks, spades and hoes; hand-operated agricultural implements, namely, broadforks; hand-operated agricultural implements, namely, chicken pluckers; hand-operated hand drills; hand tools, namely, graving tools; hand tools, namely, screwdrivers; hand tools, namely, wrenches; manicure sets; nail clippers; rakes; razors, electric or non-electric; scissors; shovels; table cutlery, namely, forks, spoons and knives; trowels; tweezers; weeding forks.”
Lucasfilm has, not shockingly, opposed the issuance of the trademark as it has been using the LEIA trademark since 1977 and feature the mark on a bazillion or so different kinds of merchandise....probably not weeding forks though.
Doesn't take a lot to see that something fishy is going on and Disney can smell it. Many times people try to lock up famous names with trademark registrations thinking that it gives them preeminent rights to the mark. It doesn't and this feeble attempt shall fail.