When Brands Become Everyday Words: The Taco Tuesday Trademark Battle

🎙️ Episode 21: When Brands Become Everyday Words – The Taco Tuesday Trademark Battle

Can a phrase everyone uses still “belong” to one company? For decades, a small regional chain quietly owned the federal trademark for “Taco Tuesday” while millions of people—and even celebrities—used it like it was public property. By 2023, that ownership finally cracked under cultural pressure.

In this episode of Love and Law, Elizabeth Yang breaks down how a fun weekly ritual turned into a high-profile legal showdown involving Taco John’s, Taco Bell, and LeBron James—and what happens when a catchy slogan becomes so common it loses its legal edge.

🌮 How “Taco Tuesday” went from registered trademark to public phrase
⚖️ What “genericide” is—and how brands can become victims of their own success
📲 Why social media and viral culture are forcing trademark law to evolve

From made-up words like “Kodak” to everyday expressions like “Taco Tuesday,” this episode shows where the law draws the line between protectable brands and shared cultural language—and why that line matters for businesses, creators, and consumers alike.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.⁠📖 Read our blog on trademarks.