Liberty and tacos for all: Taco Bell prevails as Taco John’s abandons trademark to ‘Taco Tuesday’

A sign stands outside the corporate headquarters of Cheyenne-based Taco John’s, Aug. 1, 2019, in Cheyenne, Wyo. Taco Bell rang up a win Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in its quest to make “Taco Tuesday” free of trademark restrictions, with Taco John’s formally abandoning its decades-old claim to own the phrase amid a challenge from its bigger rival. (Mead Gruver/AP)

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Taco Bell rang up a win Tuesday in its quest to make “Taco Tuesday” free of trademark restrictions, with Taco John’s formally abandoning its decades-old claim to own the phrase amid a challenge from its bigger rival.

In a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Cheyenne-based Taco John’s gave up any further claim to “Taco Tuesday” in 49 states, ending a high-profile spat with Taco Bell.