Frontier Airlines Files Trademark Applications for Tail and Rudder Designs

If you've been to an airport recently, you may have seen bears, wolves, rams, deer, eagles, or other animals on the tail and rudder of a Frontier Airlines' aircraft. The airline regularly incorporates wildlife photographs onto the tail of its planes. According to recent filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the airline is also seeking federal trademark registrations for the same.

On February 17th, Frontier Airlines, Inc. filed three federal trademark applications for polar bears (seen above), an orca whale (seen below), and a buffalo, each in Class 039 for "[a]ir transportation services, namely the transportation of cargo, freight and passengers."

These applications are for design marks consisting of "a live-action photograph of a wild animal printed on both sides of the upright sections of the tail and rudder." According to the applications, Frontier is already using these trademarks in commerce, so there are likely planes already in the fleet with these designs.

Frontier also has five other federal trademark registrations for similar tail and rudder designs. The existing trademark registrations are for bunnies, wolves, polar bears (in the form of a different photograph), a lynx, and a brown bear. By securing these registrations, Frontier is effectively prohibiting any other airline from displaying similar designs on the tail of its aircraft.