You can’t own facts — Tremé belongs to all of us.

Tremé is a neighborhood in New Orleans. Treme is an HBO series about New Orleans residents rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina. The Chicory opines correctly that the t-shirt pictured to the left does not infringe any rights anyone holds in the television series. There cannot be a copyright in a fact, so there can be no copyright in the name “Treme.” And while trademark is a distinctive sign or symbol (a “mark”), the t-shirt bears no font or insignia distinctive to the television show. So get your Treme t-shirts and show your support for my friends in New Orleans.

Hat tip to Ray Ward.