Keith Lee and Mia Yim have filed for a trademark over their wrestling names
A report by HeelByWrestling (h/t WhatCulture) mentions that WWE superstars Keith Lee and Mia Yim have taken matters into their own hands by filing trademark over their own names.
Keith Lee, who fights under his real-life name, filed for the trademark for his name on December 18, 2020.
This comes after WWE filed a similar trademark over Lee’s name last year in the month of August. The trademark was not awarded to the promotion because Lee did not provide his consent to the document.
The USPTO sent WWE a notice in June 2020 which said that the claim for their trademark over Lee’s name would be defunct if they fail to resolve the matter before December 30, 2020.
And now, Lee has made a statement by filing a trademark of his own. The 36-year-old even produced evidence that he has been using the name ‘Keith Lee’ to wrestle since 2008.
Mia Yim and Keith Lee want to own the trademark to their names
The issue here is that if WWE owns the trademark over a wrestler’s name, it means that they cannot use that name to wrestle anywhere else except for WWE.
They would thus have to change their in-ring names if they leave for any other promotion.
With All Elite Wrestling (AEW) now a major player, WWE superstars are understandably getting more proactive over the matter of trademarking their wrestling names.
This is why Yim, Keith Lee’s real-life partner, also filed to trademark her wrestling moniker in October. Mia Yim’s real name is Stephanie Hym Bell, but she has used her wrestling moniker since 2009. (h/t WhatCulture)
The whole saga has led a few fans to think if it puts a question mark over their WWE future. However, it could only be a way of ensuring that they have their futures secured in case they leave the promotion later on.
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