Angel Reese has been denied the trademark for her nickname “Bayou Barbie,” and the deadline to challenge the decision has passed.
In November, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the “Bayou Barbie” request, and the 90-day period to appeal has passed, On3 first reported. The USPTO cited a “likelihood of confusion” as a reason for the denial.
“Because a reasonable consumer naturally would believe that all of the BARBIE/BAYOU BARBIE clothing items came from a single company, confusion is likely. As a result, registration of the applicant’s mark must be refused,” the USPTO wrote in November.
The LSU forward can still call herself the “Bayou Barbie,” but she can’t profit from name, image, and likeness merchandise with the phrase.
“We discussed internally and determined that it was in Angel’s best interest to not unnecessarily instigate Mattel. While initially it seemed worthy to obtain the registration, Angel has pivoted away from selling Bayou Barbie merchandise. As such, the appropriate business decision was made to simply let the application abandon,” NIL lawyer Darren Heitner, who represented Reese in the attempt, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) while declining to comment further.
Even without the trademark, Reese is one of the most profitable NIL athletes in college sports, signing deals with companies like Reebok, Airbnb, Amazon, and Beats by Dre.
