Situation™ Wanted

FEBRUARY 1--For the first time in the republic's history, government officials are being asked to grant a trademark for the nickname a man has given to his abdominal muscles, records show.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has received two applications to secure a mark for "The Situation," a term recently popularized by "Jersey Shore," the crass MTV reality show. One of the program's characters is Michael Sorrentino, a 28-year-old New Jersey man who has christened his ripped abs "The Situation."

The gym habitue is known for exhortations like, "This situation is gonna be indescribable. You can't even describe the situation that you're about to get into the situation." A December 28 trademark application (for t-shirts and underwear) was filed by a Las Vegas firm that operates several porn web sites. That business, Naughty Limited, is operated by Sorrentino's older brother Marc, according to incorporation records.

The other trademark application for "The Situation," filed on December 11, was made by Matthew Hunter, a south Jersey man whose corporation was formed a month prior to his USPTO submission. Hunter is seeking to put "The Situation" on a variety of cloting items, including bathing suits, underpants, tennis wear, and, of course, tracksuits. It is unclear what, if any connection, Hunter has to Sorrentino.

On a related note, no trademark applications have been filed for the nickname of pint-size "Jersey Shore" dynamo Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi. (6 pages)