Taco John's had the trademark since 1989 in all U.S. states except New Jersey. Taco Bell argued that the phrase is too common for anyone to own exclusive rights to it.
Jack Daniel's, the famous Tennessee whiskey company, tried to stop production and marketing of a dog toy shaped and decorated like a Jack Daniel's bottle but with the name "Bad Spaniels" on the label.
Taco John's has held the trademark for the phrase for over 30 years. But Taco Bell argues to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that it has become too common a phrase to belong to a single entity.
