GFW Attempts To Trademark Matt Hardy’s “Broken” Gimmick Refused
According to PWInsider.com, Global Force Wrestling attempted to trademark all four of Matt Hardy’s “Broken” gimmick sayings/catchphrases/name references and the United States Trademark & Patent Office refused all of the attempts.
The “Broken Matt” trademark was refused primarily because it would interfere with Matt Hardy’s own filing for the name. The only way that GFW would be able to trademark it is if they could prove that there would be no conflict between the two. If this process continued, GFW’s action on the application would be suspended, pending the decision on Matt’s application. GFW would also need to indicate whether “Broken Matt” identifies as a living person and if so, they would need Matt Hardy’s consent to do so.
The “Brother Nero” trademark was refused because GFW would need to indicate whether “Brother Nero” was a living being or not and if so, they would need Jeff Hardy’s consent, but “Nero” is Jeff’s real middle name.
“Broken Brilliance” was refused because GFW had to provide details on whether the term had an actual meaning in pro-wrestling or was it just a “term of art” in the business.
“Vanguard 1” was refused to avoid confusion with another non-wrestling trademark.