Kobe Bryant has been using the “Black Mamba” nickname for years, but he’s never actually trademarked it. Until now, that is. Earlier this month, Bryant’s Kobe Inc. company officially filed paperwork to trademark it.
From ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell:Kobe Inc., the business arm of recently retired Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, has filed to trademark his familiar nickname “Black Mamba.”
The company filed for the trademark May 2, a record with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows, with intent to use the nickname on everything from athletic apparel to sneakers.
Neither Bryant, nor Nike, who pays him to endorse its shoes and has used the nickname in marketing, ever has trademarked the term.Now that Bryant is retired, he’s expanding his business interests. It makes sense for him to have his most iconic nickname trademarked to help him monetize it in every way imaginable.