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There are a lot of unwritten rules about living in Florida of which the residents should be aware, but one is to always show respect to folks in the service industry. The Sunshine State has an economy based largely on tourism (also real estate scams and money laundering, but more on that later), and the rising tide of all boats is improved when those who come in from out-of-state pay bed taxes and buy the beverages.
And one specific group of people you always show respect to are the bartenders, servers, and security/door staff of any late night hotspot. What they do is hard work, they don’t have time for fluff, and if you walk in with an attitude of “do you know who I am?” we can promise you: You’ll never get a seat or a drink around here again, no matter how rich you are.
But the LIV Golf Tour, flush with cash from out of town, has apparently failed to shake the doorman’s hand and say thank you. And that’s why their trademark application was blocked by Miami Beach’s LIV nightclub, the legendary discotheque in the Fountainbleu Hotel.
LIV Golf's attempt to register its trademarks has been blocked.
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) March 14, 2023
The owner of the famous Miami-based nightclub, LIV, has filed a court action to oppose LIV Golf's trademark applications.
A thread #LIVGolf #OnlyatLIV pic.twitter.com/wKRZEPFNI3
What makes this most interesting is that both LIV Miami and LIV Golf are using the Roman numeral for 54 as the reason behind their names: LIV Miami has done so to make reference to the legendary Studio 54 of the 70s in Manhattan, and LIV Golf due to the 54 holes they play at each tournament instead of the usual 72 on most pro golf circuits.
Notice that LIV Miami didn’t object to Super Bowl LIV being in Miami in 2019, because they knew the event was good for the city. There’s actually an offshoot of the nightclub LIV in the Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium, and you couldn’t buy that kind of cross-promotion. They embraced the NFL’s happy-coincidence name fully, so it’s not like the owners of LIV are lawsuit-happy weirdos. But the trademark by LIV Golf is just a bridge too far.
LIV Miami is a South Florida institution, and if models and bottles with lyric-free soul-thumping music are your thing, it’s basically hallowed ground. And no one comes into Miami (home of the LIV Golf Team Championship at Donald Trump’s golf course, surrounded by the far-less chi chi area of Doral) and shows this level of disrespect.
So prepare to stand outside the velvet ropes for quite awhile, Greg Norman. Because you’re not getting a table no matter how much cash you have.