Cody Rhodes' Trademark Filing For "Dusty Rhodes" Rejected

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes recently filed to trademark the name of his late father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, but the filing has been rejected for an unexpected reason.

Cody's legal team spoke with Pro Wrestling Sheet about the filing and it was noted that they are confident that this will not be a problem in the end.

It was revealed back in November that the trademark filing looked to be a done deal but the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) issued a refusal last week because the name is too similar to Dustin Rhodes, a trademark already owned by Dusty's oldest son and current AEW star.

The filing states the following:

"Here, the marks share one term, "RHODES", and a highly similar term 'DUSTY/DUSTIN', and share the same overall commercial impression of that of a surname and given name, respectively. Given the high similarity in appearance, sound, and meaning of the marks, the marks are confusingly similar."

The ruling also notes that both filings relating to the use description of "entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer" could also cause some confusion.

Cody's lawyer told Pro Wrestling Sheet that they are discussing the appropriate steps to take next in order to acquire the trademark. They are confident that they will still be able to secure the trademark.

PWS notes that it looks like Cody's team has two options – to file an appeal, or get approval from the owner of the registration that is causing the trademark to be rejected.

As noted recently at this link, Cody revealed on Twitter that he gave permission to WWE to use Dusty's name for their 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in WWE NXT. The details of that tournament will be announced next Wednesday.

Stay tuned for updates on the Dusty Rhodes trademark filing.