‘Taco Tuesday’ Has Been Freed From Its Trademark Prison After More Than 30 Years

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If you went to public school or had parents with the time and energy to commit to a dedicated meal plan on a weekly basis, you’re probably familiar with the time-honored tradition that is “Taco Tuesday.”

Now, I don’t think most people need an excuse to eat tacos, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have an alliterative weekly tradition you can use to justify preparing a massive spread of one of Mexico’s most beloved exports.

In 2019, LeBron James revealed he was a huge fan of Taco Tuesday to the point where he attempted to trademark that phrase in the hopes of capitalizing on the series of videos where he radiated some incredible Corny Dad Energy by yelling it at the top of its lungs.

However, his application was ultimately denied by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office thanks in part to a preexisting trademark that was filed in 1989 by Taco John’s, a Wyoming-based fast food chain that’s had a stranglehold on the marketing term in every state (aside from New Jersey) for over 30 years.

Earlier this year, Taco Bell recruited LeBron for a campaign for free Taco Tuesday from those shackles with the ad it used to drum up support for a petition it launched to urge Taco John’s to cede the trademark and return the slogan to the people.

While most people usually root against multinational chains exerting their power and money to bully a regional competitor into submission, Taco Bell was able to convince plenty of supporters it was backing an admirable cause, and it appears the push has paid off.

According to CNN, the CEO of Taco John’s announced it would not engage in a lengthy legal battle in an attempt to retain the trademark it has voluntarily abandoned, saying:

“We’ve always prided ourselves on being the home of Taco Tuesday, but paying millions of dollars to lawyers to defend our mark just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do.”

That was probably a solid choice.