Carnival Backs Down From Dispute With LeBron Over "King James"

James claimed that the proposed trademark would create a false link between him and CarnivalNBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Carnival Corp. has "backed down from a legal fight" with LeBron James, according to Taylor Dolven of the MIAMI HERALD. Just eight days after James "filed an opposition to Carnival Corp.'s application for a 'King James' trademark, the company last week abandoned its 15-month attempt to secure the name for one of its cruise ships, ending the dispute." The company "first applied for the 'King James' trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office" in August '19 through its U.K.-based entity Carnival plc. James filed an opposition to the trademark on Nov. 18 through his LLC, LBJ Trademarks, and he claimed that the proposed trademark is a "well-known nickname for the hoops icon and would create a false link between him and the cruise company." James is "no stranger" to Carnival, as he played from '10-14 for the Heat, owned by Carnival Chair Micky Arison (MIAMI HERALD, 12/1).