"The Ninth Circuit held that Reddit, not Rogozinski, owns the WALLSTREETBETS trademark because Reddit "created and provided the services that enabled Reddit's many users to contribute to the discussion" on the subreddit r/wallstreetbets. Rogozinski argues this reasoning conflicts with bedrock trademark principles, contradicts TTAB decisions, and only conflicts with Reddit's claims of Section 230 immunity. The key trademark cases relate to manufactures vs distributors, with manufacturers typically having superior rights over distributors."
"Rogozinski founded r/wallstreetbets in 2012, creating an online community for retail investors to discuss aggressive trading strategies. Through his moderation and community-building efforts over eight years, WALLSTREETBETS developed a distinctive culture that eventually sparked the 2021 GameStop short squeeze and meme stock phenomenon. By 2020, the subreddit had grown to over one million subscribers. At that point Rogozinski filed a trademark application for WALLSTREETBETS. Reddit then suspended his account for "attempting to monetize a community" and filed its own competing TM application."
The Ninth Circuit concluded that Reddit holds ownership of the WALLSTREETBETS trademark because Reddit created and provided the technical infrastructure and services that hosted r/wallstreetbets. Petitioners contend trademark law typically favors manufacturers over distributors and argue that subreddit users who generated content functioned as manufacturers while Reddit acted only as a distributor. Rogozinski founded r/wallstreetbets in 2012 and cultivated the community, which grew to over one million subscribers and contributed to the 2021 GameStop phenomenon. Rogozinski filed a trademark application in 2020; Reddit then suspended his account and filed a competing application, and lower courts dismissed Rogozinski's ownership claims.
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