The saga between Matt Hardy and Impact Wrestling continues.

For some time now, Hardy and Impact have been battling over ownership rights to the "Broken" characters that were made famous over Matt and Jeff's time in Orlando. The Hardys departed from Impact earlier this year and the promotion immediately made it clear that the "Broken" gimmick would remain exclusive to them.

Both Impact and Matt have made attempts to trademark various "Broken" terms, however, Matt's recent attempts have apparently failed. 

PWInsider reports that Hardy's trademark application for the gimmick has been denied, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office released the following statement regarding the matter:

"Registration is refused because the applied-for mark, as used on the specimen of record, identifies only the name of a particular character/personal name; it does not function as a service mark to identify and distinguish applicant’s services from those of others and to indicate the source of applicant’s services.”

This is far from over as it pertains to Matt attempting to regain ownership over the gimmick, as legal battles have been threatened by both sides over the past few months. Matt's wife, Reby Hardy, has been going off on Impact via Twitter lately, slamming the promotion for their poor treatment of talent as well as accusing them of lying on multiple occasions as it pertains to "Broken" ownership rights.

Shortly after leaving Impact, The Hardys appeared at Ring Of Honor's (ROH) 15th Anniversary pay-per-view (PPV), however, Impact issued a cease and desist warning to PPV providers forbidding The Hardys from using any references to the "Broken" characters.

Aside from a few chants and mannerisms, the gimmick was not referred to directly. Same was the case during The Hardys surprise return to WWE, as they were surprise entrants in the Fatal Four Way Ladder match for the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 33. The Hardys won the match but refrained from using direct mentions to the "Broken" gimmick.

A trip to the courtroom may be in order for the two sides in the near future as the war between them continues to get uglier by the day. Impact Wrestling President Ed Nordholm recently released Matt's contract with TNA, as well as multiple other private conversations between the two sides. It's only a matter of time before a settlement is reached between the pair over the rights to the famed gimmick.

What are your thoughts on Matt's trademark application being denied? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here!

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