The star of Taco Bell’s latest ad campaign is not Doja Cat or a talking chihuahua: it’s the United States Patent Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. On Tuesday, the chain announced that it had filed an appeal with the office to cancel the federal trademark restrictions for the phrase “Taco Tuesday”.
Since 1989, Taco John’s, a much smaller franchise based in Wyoming, has held a claim over “Taco Tuesday”. (Taco John’s has about 400 locations, while Taco Bell has more than 7,200). Over the years, Taco John’s has earned a reputation for sending cease-and-desist letters to other restaurants that dared to use the ubiquitous phrase.
