IRVINE — Taco Bell has launched a hostile taco-ver to liberate the phrase “Taco Tuesday” from trademark restrictions, the Irvine-based fast-food chain announced Tuesday.
Battles can win wars and redraw borders, but this tortilla rebellion is a fight to hand over Taco Tuesday to anyone who makes, sells, eats and celebrates the snack.
In other words, Taco Bell wants everyone to own the Taco Tuesday phrase — and it’s not about the dough, the company says.
“Taco Tuesday” has been a registered trademark of rival Taco John’s for 34 years, creating potential legal consequences for those who want to use the phrase, according to Taco Bell.
The company said it stepped up to plate — on Tuesday, naturally — and filed petitions to cancel the federal trademark registrations via the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trial and Appeal Board.
The use of the phrase “potentially subjects Taco Bell and anyone else who wants to share tacos with the world to the possibility of legal action or angry letters if they say ‘Taco Tuesday’ without express permission from (Taco John’s) simply for pursuing happiness on a Tuesday,” the filing says.
Taco Bell announced that it seeks no damages or trademark rights. Instead, it simply seeks “common sense for usage of a common term. In filing the legal petitions, Taco Bell is honoring people’s right to come together and celebrate the joys of tacos, on Tuesdays and every other day,” according to a Taco Bell news release.
Taco John’s CEO Jim Creel said he wished to thank “our worthy competitors at Taco Bell for reminding everyone that Taco Tuesday is best celebrated at Taco John’s.”
Creel said in a statement — which used the trademark symbol whenever Taco Tuesday was mentioned — that “when it comes right down to it, we’re lovers, not fighters, at Taco John’s. But when a big, bad bully threatens to take away the mark our forefathers originated so many decades ago, well, that just rings hollow to us. If ‘living más’ means filling the pockets of Taco Bell’s army of lawyers, we’re not interested.”
Taco John’s is selling a Taco Tuesday deal of two tacos for $2 every day until May 31, he added.
Meanwhile, to show support for Taco Bell’s liberation efforts, fans and taco lovers alike are invited to sign the “Freeing Taco Tuesday” petition at change.org/freeingtacotuesday.
Taco Bell will also be conducting a question-and-answer time Monday on Reddit to spill the beans about the campaign.
Additional information can be found by visiting www.tacobell.com/freeing-taco-tuesday.
