There appears to have been a significant amount of conflict between Shaquille O’Neal and his son Shaqir O’Neal. As we all know, Shaq is considered to be an NBA legend and one of the greatest players in the history of the league. He also managed to amass an impressive net worth of $400 million so far in his life.
That indicates an innate sense of business, entrepreneurship, and financial sense. It turns out that his son Shaqir also wished to venture into the world of business but was stopped by his own father. Since we already know that Shaq is quite a caring and supportive parent, this would undoubtedly confuse some fans. Let us take a closer look at what happened and why O’Neal decided to stand in the way of his son’s goal.
Shaquille O’Neal’s company blocked Shaqir’s trademark application
Shaq is a majority owner of Authentic Brand Groups and utilized them to stop Shakir from filing a trademark to create his own brand using his name and likeliness. This is quite an interesting issue considering that O’Neal has already made it clear that he doesn’t want another basketball player in the family.
It’s no secret that Shaq O’Neal is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world.
Shaq to his kids: “We ain’t rich, I’m rich.”
Holding company, ABG-Shaq, the owner of “SHAQUILLE O’NEAL” & “SHAQ” registrations has filed a Notice of Opposition against his 19 yr. old son, Shaqir 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ZjDPcjMcBj
— Clarissa | Trademark Attorney (@TheLawOfficeCH) July 25, 2022
Shaqir might not be interested in playing basketball professionally and decided to pursue a path in business. He filed the application for a trademark patent in order to do so. However, his application was challenged and blocked by his father’s company. When asked for a reason, it was revealed that the similarity between their names would create confusion among customers.
While this certainly makes sense, fans were perplexed by this news and soon began to speculate that there was friction between Shaq and Shaqir. However, it turns out that friction also exists between Authentic Brand Groups and Mine O Mine LLC, the company which is representing Shaqir.
Well, this is awkward.
The company that owns Shaq’s trademarks (Authentic Brands Group) has opposed his son’s trademark filing for “SHAQIR O’NEAL.”
How on earth did this happen? #Shaq#Trademarks
A thread 🧵
[1/8] pic.twitter.com/eAZyf5SRiU— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) July 19, 2022
This has turned into a legal case and could even potentially go to trial. However, lawyers have revealed that it is highly unlikely to do so since Shaquille O’Neal is involved with both companies. Therefore, it is more likely to be settled outside the court of law.
In any case, we hope that Shaq and Shaqir are able to find a way and resolve this issue. Although Shaqir shares his father’s name, it is highly unlikely for him to enjoy the status and benefits that come with it. Especially if he intends to venture into the business world as his own man.
