Others have written about this mark for years, but it still irks me every time I travel and see it. Does it function as a mark? If someone uses it without authorization, should (or would) the Metropolitan Transportation Authority really try to stop them? Isn’t it a public service announcement? Could “Say no to drugs” function as a trademark for public service announcements in the field of drugs?
But, really, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York registered IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING as a trademark in 2007 for ‘Promoting public awareness of public safety and security issues.’
I’m not sure why the MTA would register this phrase or why the USPTO would think it functions as a trademark.
Here are photos I took on a recent trip at security and baggage claim:
This is hilarious. Imagine the insanity if there was a lawsuit and this trademark got expunged.