NBA Star Abdul-Jabbar Shoots Trademark Tips at PTO Expo

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s new champion for the importance of trademark rights and innovation.

Abdul-Jabbar told a packed audience at the National Museum of American History in Washington July 27 about why he registered a trademark in his own name. The NBA’s all-time scoring leader was the featured speaker at the 2018 National Trademark Exposition, hosted by the PTO to showcase the role of trademarks in the global marketplace.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks in Washington on July 27 at the 2018 National Trademark Exposition at the National Museum of American History in Washington. Seated are PTO Director Andrei Iancu and Trademarks Commissioner Mary Boney Denison.

“I know that my trademark is not worth that much,” Abdul-Jabbar joked, after citing a 2017 Interbrand report that valued Apple’s trademark—the most ...