Sony Computer Entertainment America has tried, and failed, to trademark the term “Let’s Play.”
A listing on Justia Trademarks, picked up by a NeoGAF user, confirms that Sony applied for the trademark on October 31, 2015.
Sony defined the popular phrase as the “electronic transmission and streaming of video games via global and local computer networks; streaming of audio, visual, and audiovisual material via global and local computer networks,” hinting that the PlayStation creator wanted to stop competitors, and potentially YouTubers, from using the term.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office subsequently refused Sony’s application “because of a likelihood of confusion with the mark […] LP Let’z Play,” and sent the company a non-final action on December 29, 2015.
Applicants have six months to reply to a non-final action before a final refusal is issued, meaning Sony has until June 29 to argue its case before losing out on the trademark altogether.