I Was Going to Say Your Name...But Because of Copyright and Trademark Laws I Can't.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/sports/10trademark.html?_r=1&ref=sports

     In today's day and age, athletes, celebrities, and any other categories of so called "famous people" are constantly looking for a new way to make a quick buck or find some way to be considered unique. The newest fad out there is the trademarking of certain expressions and nicknames, sometimes even actual names themselves. Who would do such a thing? Superstar athletes who are self obsessed thinking the world revolves around them. This is happening in different sports leagues right around the U.S. Darrele Revis, cornerback for the New York Jets, claims athletes do it because people are trying to make a profit off of the athlete. Okay Darrele, I hear you loud and clear. You don't want people to make a quick buck off of your abilities, but why does it really matter to you or any other athlete for that matter? Revis just signed a 4 year $46 million dollar contract. Now let me ask you: would the average person still care about some guy on a street corner making five bucks off of a T-shirt stating your nickname, which because of trademark laws I will not risk saying.

     Now I am not at all trying to target Darrele because his actions do not warrant a personal attack in any way shape or form. There are worse things you could have trademarked other than a nickname. Right Lebron? If you don't already know, Nike actually owns the rights to the name "Lebron." Suddenly I don't really care that Darrele Revis trademarked "Revis Island", that Terrell Owens patented "I love me some me," or that Chad Ochocinco trademarked "Kiss da baby." Your name? Really? In the article, Vince Young's lawyer stated in regards to athletes that "they need to be cautious of their names, and they need to protect themselves." I didn't realize that stars are becoming so self absorbed that they now want to choose who can and cannot say their names. My response to this practice of trademarking nicknames and names is critical, and I'm sure many will say that I'm overreacting. All I can say to those who disagree with me is this: stop looking at this from a legal perspective and take a step back and use your common sense and then take a look at the situation. There's a big difference.