Does Joe Exotic really own the Tiger King trademark? How would he sue FSU's Jordan Travis?

Joe Exotic, a.k.a. the Tiger King, accused Florida State University quarterback Jordan Travis this week of violating his trademark by selling T-shirts with a Tiger King image. But does the Netflix reality-show star have the corner on the name and image?

Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known professionally as Exotic, on Sunday tried to gin up some legal help to sue the 23-year-old Heisman Trophy hopeful. Exotic, a felon in a federal prison for attempted murder and animal abuse, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he'd share 80% of any settlement with any lawyers willing to take the case.

More: 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic calls for lawyers to help sue FSU's Jordan Travis after Clemson, LSU wins

"Jordan Travis was 6 years old when I became The Tiger King," he said, going on to insist, "it is my trademark, my intellectual property and I'm sick of others cashing in on my Trademark."

After the Seminoles' stunning overtime victory over Clemson on Saturday, Travis celebrated with a new T-shirt for sale on travisjordan13.com. It shows Travis sitting on a throne donning a crown with a pair of tigers. The shirt is labeled  "Jordan Travis College King 2.0 WHT." Nowhere did it say "Tiger King," either on the shirt or the website.

The shirt, which comes in maroon, gray and black, retails for $31.24 — commemorating the final score of the Clemson game. After the game, the usually stoic Travis said he felt "disrespected" by the Tigers defense.

Palm Beach County ties for both Jordan Travis, Joe Exotic, 'Tiger King'

Travis, 23, was born in Palm Beach County in 2000 and lives west of West Palm Beach. He attended Palm Beach Central High through his sophomore year and then moved to The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, where he graduated in 2018. He's consider a duel threat QB for the Seminoles, equally adept at running and passing.

Exotic, 60, also has ties here. In 1985, when he was chief of police in Eastvale, Texas, Exotic crashed his cruiser, causing himself extensive injuries. He said in 2019 that the crash was a spur-of-the-moment suicide attempt.

After a month in a hospital, he said he moved to West Palm Beach for physical therapy. Why he needed to come to Palm Beach County for treatment isn't clear. Here, he found his love for exotic animals.

He said in the Netflix documentary "Tiger King" that he was inspired by visiting Lion Country Safari. News outlets have reported that his neighbor at the time was a manager at Lion Country Safari who brought home lion cubs and monkeys that Exotic would bottle-feed.

But what's the deal on the trademark?

Exotic may not have a leg to stand on, according to documents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A search of both trademarks and copyrights show he has neither on the Tiger King name nor any images.

More: Brian Kelly said LSU was going to 'beat the heck' out of FSU; Jordan Travis said not so fast | D'Angelo

Tiger King name on anti-aging moisturizer, eye gel with vitamin C

He is, however, awaiting word on an application for a trademark on the name to be placed on products such as "shave lotion, anti-aging moisturizer, blemish beauty cream, hydrating mask in the nature of skin moisturizer mask, oil free skin moisturizer, non-medicated skin care preparations in the nature of eye gel containing vitamin C."

The trademark office published a notice of Exotic's application in the Trademark Gazette in June, giving anyone who felt they might be damaged by the trademark a chance to object.

Also, he applied for a trademark on the Tiger King name on slot and other gambling machines in 2020 and is waiting to see whether he can get an extension to fulfill the requirements.

Exotic knows the court system — both civil and criminal

A lawsuit involving Exotic would not be his first when it comes either to copyright or trademarks, nor would it be his first foray into the court system.

Carole Baskin of Tampa and her Big Cat Rescue have sued Joe Exotic and his company Big Cat Rescue Entertainment three times over intellectual property rights. Baskin was his co-star in "Tiger King."

One lawsuit involved trademark claims of infringement of the Big Cat Rescue logo; another involved copyright claims alleging infringement of a photo with three bunnies (as depicted in the Netflix show "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness); and yet another was a copyright case claiming infringement of several other photos. In each lawsuit, the court found Exotic/BCR Entertainment liable.

Exotic was convicted in 2019 of 17 federal counts of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for trying to hire a hitman to kill Baskin. He is serving a 21-year sentence in a federal prison in Texas, but it hasn't stopped his legal action.

In June, Exotic sued songwriter Vince Johnson in federal court in the Northern District of Florida, claiming Johnson had included the song "I saw a Tiger" on an album after Johnson had signed away his rights to the song.

The lawsuit does not claim that Exotic has a copyright on the work.

So what's the difference between trademarks and copyrights?

Copyright protects original expressions in works. Trademarks protect the business reputation and goodwill associated with the word, phrase, symbol, and/or design.

They are each a form of intellectual property and the same work, name or image might need both.

Holly Baltz is the investigations editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Can NetFlix's Tiger King sue Jordan Travis, Exotic, over T-shirt image