Park concessionaire abandons applications to trademark names of popular places at Grand Canyon

A major national parks concessionaire has dropped efforts to trademark names of the most popular properties at the Grand Canyon.

Xanterra (zan-TAYR'-uh) Parks & Resorts applied for roughly 20 trademarks before its contract to manage South Rim hotels, restaurants and mule rides expired at the end of December. It later won a temporary contract.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office now lists some of them as "dead." For others, Xanterra has stated it is abandoning the applications.

Xanterra had sought a trademark for names including Phantom Ranch, Hopi House and El Tovar. The Greenwood Village, Colorado-based company didn't respond Thursday to request for comment.

The National Park Service had said it considers the names to be property of the agency, pursuant to trademark rights under common law.