In a perfect example of a big media company looking to capitalize on current events, The Walt Disney Company has trademarked “Seal Team 6,” which also happens to be the name of the elite special forces team that killed Osama Bin Laden.
The trademark applications came on May 3rd, two days after the operation that killed Bin Laden… and two days after “Seal Team 6″ was included in thousands of news articles and TV programs focusing on the operation.
Disney’s trademark applications for “Seal Team 6″ cover clothing, footwear, headwear, toys, games and “entertainment and education services,” among other things.
My understanding is that this is not a done deal. My hope is that the trademark office will turn Disney’s request down. Or, can we trademark FBI, CIA, Federal Reserve Bank, and other names? I think NOT. Eagerness meets greed; Disney is trying to out-do itself.
Disney just settled with a plaintiff in a case, “Woman Who Felt Touched by Disney Character (Donald Duck) Settles Lawsuit”, http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/121829409.html. Wow!
Hey, how about trademarking the name “Federal government”, so that no one else could use it … ever.