Taco fan LeBron James seeks to trademark ‘Taco Tuesday’

It’s an undisputed fact that LeBron James loves tacos, especially on Tuesdays.

And Tuesday night, for seemingly the thousandth time, the millennial NBA superstar went on Instagram and announced to his tens of millions of followers: “You know what it is! Taco Tuesday!”

This is how he lets people know it is his family’s taco night.

James’ custom usually includes the addition of a howl delivered in an exaggerated Spanish or Mexican-ish accent. His fans love it. And now the 34-year-old forward for the Los Angeles Lakers is making a move to formalize a claim on the phrase.

On Aug. 15, a company called LBJ Trademarks LLC fifiled a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offiffice on behalf of James to copy right“Taco Tuesday.” The company seeks protection for use of the phrase in a host of forums, including“downloadable audio/visual works,”pod casts, social media, online marketing and“entertainment services .” USA Today fifirst reported on the request this weekend.

“The fifiling was to protect the company from potential lawsuits should we decide to pursue any ideas, nothing of which is in development ,” James said this week on (taco) Tuesday, through a spokesman.“It has nothing to do with stopping others from using the term.”

Trouble is, the phrase is already a federal trademark for a company in Wyoming. That copyright is itself a source of dispute and grumbling. At issue, for taco lovers far and wide, is the question: Should anyone hold a trademark for a phrase at Mexican restaurants across the country?