LOS ANGELES—Disney said Wednesday it had withdrawn a bid to trademark the term “Seal Team 6” for a TV show, after the US Navy scrambled to claim the name of commandos who killed Osama bin Laden.
The US entertainment giant made the trademark application following the raid by the elite strike team that killed bin Laden on May 2 in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
In response, the US Navy registered two trademarks, “Navy SEALS” and “SEAL Team” according to media reports that said Disney had the right to “Seal Team 6” because it applied first.
But Disney said it had decided to withdraw its application. “In deference to the Navy’s application for trademark, we have pulled our trademark application,” Disney/ABC spokesman Kevin Brockman told AFP.
The media giant had intended the trademark to be used for a television show, rather than for general merchandising such as “snow globes and Christmas ornaments,” according to an informed source.
There was no immediate reaction from the US military about Disney’s withdrawal, which came after the decision to claim the trademark sparked late-night talk show jokes including from the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.
“Putting a trademark on SEAL Team 6 is like trying to copyright the guys who stormed the beaches of Normandy” in World War II, Stewart said, while quipping: “Can’t wait for the Happy Meal.”