WWE’s application to trademark “Vice City” is now dead. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office record lists the wordmark as “Dead Abandoned,” with a September 21 status date, after World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC filed an express abandonment.
The filing was not for a Grand Theft Auto game. The public record identifies it as serial number 50031923, filed August 4 under Class 041 for entertainment services. Its listed uses include wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer, delivered live and through other media.
The filing's wrestling context
The procedural history shows an express-abandonment document received September 2, followed by abandonment notices and related documents on September 21. The record says the application is no longer active; it does not state why WWE withdrew it.
The listing also shows no registration number or publication date. It was filed on an intent-to-use basis rather than as a registration already in force, and the ownership section names World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC. Those record details make this a withdrawn application, not the cancellation of an existing federal VICE CITY registration.
Fightful reported that the filing arrived around Lola Vice’s move to WWE’s main roster after Miami-themed vignettes, while GameRant reported that the company had sought the mark for wrestling and sports-entertainment use. That context helps explain why a Miami-associated performer was part of the discussion, but it is not a finding in the trademark record itself.
The phrase also naturally draws attention because Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series uses Vice City as its fictionalized Miami setting. But the reports do not establish that the association blocked the application. GameRant notes that Take-Two owns Rockstar and 2K, which publishes WWE games, while also saying there is no evidence either company influenced WWE’s withdrawal. The firmer conclusion is narrower: WWE filed for the mark, withdrew it, and can continue using Lola Vice’s name without an active VICE CITY application.
Gaming
