“What Happens Here, Stays Here.”

“What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.”

The advertising agency of R&R Partners, Inc, created the slogan, “What

Happens Here, Stays Here” for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors

Authority (LVCVA). In 2004, the LVCVA sold its interests in the

slogan to R&R Partners for $1. R&R has applied to register its

trademark of the slogan.

However, Dorothy Tovar of Placerville, California, registered a

trademark of a similar slogan, “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas,”

and is reportedly using it on T-shirts and underwear sold at Las Vegas

souvenir shops and elsewhere.

R&R Partners and the LVCVA have sued Ms Tovar and her company “Pure

Pleasure” for trademark infringement because of the “What Happens in

Vegas Stays in Vegas” products.

From the Las Vegas Sun:

“The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board may go to court

to make sure that its popular tourism slogan, “What happens here,

stays here,” also applies to the slogan itself…

…in litigation against Dorothy Tovar of Placerville, Calif., who

used the trademark slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” on a

line of clothing sold at Strip resorts and elsewhere.

…”All I can tell you is that if we consider a potential trademark to

be in conflict with ‘What happens here, stays here,’ we will prosecute

those trademarks in filings with the trademark office,” Puschnig said.

“Some of our oppositions will be filed against Dorothy Tovar.”

Daniel Ballard, Tovar’s attorney, does not dispute that the LVCVA has

the right to trademark the “What happens here” slogan. But said he did

not believe the authority could successfully oppose his client’s

trademarks because the trademark office generally does not get

involved in such disputes when there is litigation on the same matter

in federal court.

…

R&R Partners Inc., the Las Vegas advertising firm that devised the

“What happens here” slogan for the LVCVA, has applied for two federal

“marks” to use the phrase on goods and services and in promotional

campaigns. The company currently owns the Nevada marks for that

slogan.

The LVCVA transferred its trademark rights to the slogan to R&R in a

secret deal in November intended to give R&R a better chance of

fighting Tovar in federal court. The LVCVA has since joined R&R as a

plaintiff in the trademark infringement case.”

http://www.rgtonline.com/Article.cfm?ArticleId=61010&CategoryName=Vegas&SubCategoryName=

Here are links to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office records of

Dorothy Tovar’s registered trademark of the use of the slogan, “What

Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” on T-shirts and underwear:

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78975105

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78220184

Here are links to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office records of the

trademark applications of the advertising agency, R&R Partners Inc,

for the slogan “What Happens Here, Stays Here.”

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=76582191

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=76619984

Further reading:

“Law firm critical of LVCVA’s slogan deal”

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2005/aug/09/519178965.html

“LVCVA Hires Law Firm for ‘What Happens’ Lawsuit”

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3586042&nav=168XDWn7

Also see:

“Las Vegas slogan sparks lawsuit”

http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/09/04/news/nation/nat17.txt