You remember the videos. It's 2019, and LeBron James is sitting at his massive kitchen table, phone in hand, yelling "Taco Tuuuuuesday!" at the top of his lungs. His family looks half-amused, half-embarrassed. It was goofy. It was infectious. And for a few months, it felt like the biggest thing on the internet.
But then things got weird. LeBron’s company, LBJ Trademarks LLC, actually tried to trademark the phrase. People flipped. The internet, which usually bows to the King, suddenly decided he was trying to "own" a day of the week.
Honestly, the backlash was intense. But if you look at the legal filings and what happened next, the story isn't about a billionaire being greedy. It’s about one of the strangest intellectual property battles in modern history that ended up involving a tiny restaurant in New Jersey and a massive fast-food giant.
The Day LeBron James Met the USPTO
When LeBron filed for the Taco Tuesday trademark in August 2019, he wasn't trying to stop your local mom-and-pop shop from selling $2 carnitas. His team was looking at "downloadable audio and visual works" and "social media posts." Basically, they wanted to make a show or a podcast without getting sued.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) didn't care about his intentions. They shut him down fast.
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The official refusal came in September 2019. The USPTO called the phrase a "commonplace term." They basically told the greatest basketball player on earth that the phrase was too generic to belong to any one person. It’s like trying to trademark "Happy Birthday" or "Monday Morning." It just doesn't work.
Interestingly, LeBron’s camp actually celebrated the loss. His spokesman told ESPN that getting the "commonplace" ruling was exactly what they wanted. Why? Because it proved that nobody else could sue him for using it either. It was a defensive play disguised as an offensive one.
The "Liberation" of a Phrase
For decades, the phrase Taco Tuesday was actually a legal minefield. While LeBron was getting clowned on Twitter, a company called Taco John’s actually owned the trademark in 49 states. They had held it since 1989 and were notorious for sending cease-and-desist letters to any small business that dared to use it.
There was one exception: Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar in Somers Point, New Jersey. They owned the rights in the Garden State because they’d been using it since the late 70s.
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Fast forward to 2023. Taco Bell enters the chat.
They launched a massive campaign to "liberate" the phrase, and who did they call? LeBron James. He starred in commercials—hilariously titled "Taco Bleep"—where he was bleeped out every time he tried to say the trademarked words.
It worked. Taco John’s eventually gave up the fight, saying they didn't want to spend millions on lawyers. Then, in October 2023, Gregory Gregory (yes, that’s his real name), the owner of that New Jersey bar, finally threw in the towel too.
Why the LeBron James Taco Tuesday Trend Stick Around
Even though the trademark drama is mostly settled, the cultural footprint is still there. You see it every time a brand uses the hashtag or a player posts a locker room meal.
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What LeBron did was take a regional restaurant promotion and turn it into a global lifestyle "event." He didn't invent it—far from it—but he amplified it to a point where the legal status quo became unsustainable.
- The Genericide Effect: When a brand name or phrase becomes so popular that it just means "the thing itself" (like Kleenex or Escalator), it loses its trademark protection. LeBron’s 2019 viral moment was the final nail in the coffin for the legal exclusivity of the phrase.
- The Power of "The Grito": That high-pitched yell LeBron would do? It became a meme. It moved the needle from "tacos are for lunch" to "tacos are a Tuesday night family tradition."
- The Business of Being LeBron: This whole saga proved that LeBron is always thinking about the "IP" (intellectual property) of his life. Everything—even a family dinner—is a potential brand.
What You Should Know Moving Forward
If you're a business owner or a content creator, the "Liberation of Taco Tuesday" is actually a big deal. You can now use the phrase in your marketing, on your menus, and in your social media captions without fear of a lawyer from Wyoming or New Jersey knocking on your door.
Here is how you can actually use this "liberated" status today:
- Marketing Freedom: You can legally run "Taco Tuesday" specials in all 50 states now. This was technically a legal risk as recently as early 2023.
- Content Creation: You can name a podcast or a YouTube series "Taco Tuesday" (like LeBron wanted to) without needing a license, provided you aren't infringing on other specific brand identities.
- Cultural Context: Understand that the phrase is now officially "public domain" in the eyes of the USPTO. It belongs to the culture, not a corporation.
The saga of LeBron James and Taco Tuesday started with a goofy Instagram story and ended with a fundamental change in American trademark law. It's a reminder that in the social media age, a "King" and a "Bell" can actually take down a decades-old legal monopoly just by making enough noise.
Check your local listings or your favorite taco spot this week. Odds are, they’re using the phrase. And they have a basketball legend—and a whole lot of legal paperwork—to thank for it.
Next Steps for You:
Check the current USPTO TESS database if you are planning to use "Taco Tuesday" for a specific product line (like apparel), as "commonplace" rulings for services don't always apply to physical goods. You should also audit your restaurant's old marketing materials to ensure you aren't still paying licensing fees for a phrase that is now free for everyone.