Val Venis Fires Back at Trademark Battle—Says USPTO Rejected LGBTQ+ Group’s Application

Val Venis is back on Twitter and swinging hard. The former WWE star—real name Sean Allen Morley—just responded to the firestorm surrounding the trademark of his iconic ring name, and he claims the attempt to take it is officially dead in the water.

On April 8, Venis took to social media and posted a direct statement aimed at X user @HaangEmHiigh, the activist who previously claimed to have secured the rights to “VAL VENIS” through a trademark filing. “FACT: The trademark office denies (@)Haangemhiigh my business name; Val Venis,” Venis wrote.

Attached to his tweet was documentation from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office explaining why the original filing was rejected. According to the notice, the application was refused under Section 2(c) of the Trademark Act because it referenced a known individual without proper consent.

In order to proceed with the trademark, the applicant would need to provide two things:

1. A statement confirming that “VAL VENIS identifies Sean Allen Morley, a living individual whose consent to register is made of record.”
2. A written and signed consent from Sean Allen Morley himself, stating: “I, Sean Allen Morley, consent to the registration of my stage name, VAL VENIS, as a trademark and/or service mark with the USPTO.”

Needless to say, Venis has no intention of handing over that consent. But he wasn’t done. Venis also called out @HaangEmHiigh for allegedly raising money under false pretenses. “The question now is, will Haangemhiigh pay back the money he incentived his followers to give in order to fund his attempt to usurp ownership of my trade name? Do you think he will pay his donors…”

This war started when the activist group “Valued Allies of LGBTQ+ Vital Educational & Non-Judgmental Informational Services” (VAL VENIS) was launched to combat anti-trans rhetoric, using the former WWE star’s name to make a point. That name was redirected to a pro-trans website, enraging Venis, who has made his political stance well known online.

In retaliation, Venis bought the website domain associated with the Twitter user and redirected it to a pro-life organization, escalating the situation even further. As of now, the trademark filing appears to be stalled unless consent from Morley himself is provided—which isn’t happening. Meanwhile, the online war of words shows no signs of slowing down.