Woof-Tang Clan Dog Walking Company Trademark Opposed by Wu-Tang Clan

Orange County – The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip hop group from New York. Wu-Tang Clan’s producer, RZA, recently filed a trademark opposition against a Brooklyn dog-walking company after it filed a trademark application for “Woof-Tang Clan” on June 8, 2017. The opposition states that the Woof-Tang Clan trademark is likely to be confused with multiple registrations already owned by the Wu-Tang Clan.

Marty Cuatchon is the owner of Woof-Tang Clan, LLC. The company provides dog sitting and walking services throughout New York. Along with walking “the illest group of dogs in New York City,” Cuatchon was also selling T-shirts that depicted dogs and Wu-Tang artwork including images of classic hip-hop album covers. After the filing of the opposition, the images have been removed from the Woof-Tang Clan website.

The Wu-Tang Clan claims that its name and logo have unmistakable association with the hip-hop group since its formation in 1993. RZA argues that Woof-Tang Clan’s identity is likely to cause confusion and falsely suggest a connection between the two companies and that the dog walking company should not be allowed to profit from the goodwill that the band has created in the trademark. The band also wants to be sure that it is not falsely associated with the other business and make sure that their fans know that the band is not endorsing the dog walking company.

Cuatchon declined to comment on the legalities of the situation. He is still seeking legal counsel for the case. But Cuatchon did inform the New York Daily News that he was aware of the trademark challenge and mentioned, “I am a fan. We walk dogs. I thought it was a good idea.” Had Cuatchon hired a trademark attorney, the attorney likely would have advised against Cuatchon mentioning that he is a fan of the band.

Oddly, this is not the first time that RZA has had his brand intermixed with dogs, and Cuatchon is not the first to use the name “Woof-Tang Clan”. A dog walking and pet sitting service using the Woof Tang Wear and Woof Tang Huskies trademarks located in Florida has also used a similar name and logo. The Florida use, also apparently unauthorized, thus far has been able to go un-opposed from the band.