Shaquille O’Neal may be the one getting sued in Florida for harassment and in California for divorce but he’s on the offensive in Nevada courts this week. Shaq filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas, claiming a businessman registered a trademark for the word “Shaqtus”, a nickname the NBA star picked up while playing for the Phoenix Suns a while back.
In the lawsuit, actually filed by a company run by Shaq, the basketball star claims the businessman tried to shut down Shaq’s hilarious ESPN commercial, in which he goes to the desert, finds the Shaqtus, and refuses to let anyone else touch it. ESPN ignored the man’s demands but Shaq has now taken matters into his own hands.
But according to the court papers, the defendant argues that Shaq consented to his use of the Shaqtus because Shaq once took a photo with a guy and autographed a shirt for him. Without knowing more about the legal claims and requirements for trademark infringement and squatting, this seems like an interesting case. But the guy sounds a little kooky.
