Austin Theory In Legal Trouble After WWE Raw?

A group of high school graduates from Hudson Valley were left outraged after discovering that their trademarked intellectual property had been used without their consent on WWE television. Rob Begely and Dale Chapman, who go by the ring names Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins, have been wrestling together as “The Now” for at least 15 years. The duo, who are still actively wrestling, were shocked to see a current WWE superstar, Austin Theory, using their ring name. Begely stated that they had copyrighted “The Now” in 2006 and that many people in WWE knew they owned it. The Arlington High School graduates are now attempting to get WWE to cease using their intellectual property.

 


 

“My initial reaction was shock, because of the fact that we have had it copyrighted since 2006, and there’s many people in WWE who know Hale and I, know our names, and know we own it,” Begely told Hudson Valley Post.

 

“After shock goes away, we decided to reach out. We consulted with some friends who knew about the situation professionally and we were guided to an awesome lawyer named Mike Dockins, ‘the gimmick attorney’ who specializes in trademarks,

“We have sent two cease and desist letters to WWE, they acknowledged one, and said they would look into it. Looking into it doesn’t stop it from being on TV,” Begley said.

“Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.”

Harrison Carter
Harrison Carter
Harrison Carter has been a huge pro wrestling fan since 2002, and it's been his first love ever since then. He has years of writing experience for all things pro wrestling. His interests outside of wrestling include films, books and soccer.

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