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The US Space Force has faced quite a few battles since it was first brought into existence with an executive order in 2018, and zero of these battles have been in space.
There's the fact that their logo is pretty much exactly the Star Trek logo, raising the possibility that Trump could be the first president to be sued by Jean-Luc Picard. While that's unlikely to happen, they nevertheless received their first threat of a fight from Sulu.
Then there were the fights they got into on Twitter after their uniforms were mocked for being camouflaged, despite being space uniforms.
In one of the most bizarre experiences I've had online, I personally got into a Twitter argument with a branch of the US Military over it. Clearly, it was a touchy subject if they're willing to argue about it so vehemently with random Twitter accounts.
Now, they could soon have a new battle on their hands. No, not space trees, but the Netflix show Space Force.
It seems the US Military has been slow at copyrighting their name, leaving it open for the show, which mocks the military branch. The showrunners appear to have taken their trademarking more seriously than the US Government, securing trademark rights in Europe, Australia, Mexico, and other countries around the world, according to Hollywood Reporter.
While the US Military branch of Space Force has a pending registration application in the US, it could still lead to some legal problems if, for example, Space Force started selling Space Force merchandise. Notice how tricky it was there to decipher which Space Force I was talking about? That's why you trademark.
It's unlikely that the US Military will sue the Netflix series, although nothing can be ruled out given Trump's willingness to sue or threaten to sue everyone from CNN to his own campaign manager. However, given that they've trademarked it around the world, IP attorney Jennifer Ko Craft at Dickinson Wright told the Hollywood Reporter that the Netlfix show has put themselves in a good starting position should anything arise, calling it a "brilliant move".
An Air Force spokesperson contacted by Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, reassured everybody that they aren't looking for any more fights that aren't in space, saying: "We wish Netflix and the show's producers the best in their creative depiction of our nation's newest branch of the military."
