Cody Rhodes adamant about keeping “Cody Rhodes” name despite WWE owning trademark

Former WWE star Cody Rhodes (real name Cody Runnels) is adamant about keeping his wrestling legacy name of Cody Rhodes.

“I own Rhodes. He was with me for my first breath and I was with him for his last,” Cody tweeted Friday about being born into the “Rhodes” wrestling family name through Dusty.

“There’s no piece of paper on Earth that takes my name away.”

The point of contention is WWE owns the service mark “Cody Rhodes.”

According to the U.S. Trademark & Patents Office, WWE filed for “Cody Rhodes” in June 2007, the mark was published for opposition in May 2008, and the mark was officially registered to WWE in October 2009.

WWE also made a note in the trademark filing that the name “Cody Rhodes” does not identify a living individual. In other words, it describes the services of “performing in wrestling exhibitions and live performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.”

If WWE chose to challenge Cody Rhodes’s use of the “Cody Rhodes” name outside of WWE, they could conceivably apply the trademark filing that Cody cannot use “Cody Rhodes” for pro wrestling purposes after leaving WWE.

Rhodes’s contention in his tweet, though, is that his wrestling family legacy name trumps the trademark filing.

I own Rhodes

He was with me for my first breath and I was with him for his last

There's no piece of paper on Earth that takes my name away

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 15, 2016