Luke Littler may only be 18, but he’s already mastered something most darting veterans never manage – turning three darts and a cheeky grin into a million quid sitting comfortably in his bank account. Yes, while some players spend years slogging around leisure centres hoping to break even, Littler’s company filings show a cool £1,074,971 cash in the coffers. Not bad for a teenager who can’t legally buy his own celebratory beer in many of the nations he plays in.
The firm in question – the creatively titled Luke Littler Darts Ltd – raked in the bulk of this fortune through his on-stage heroics last year. But that’s only half the story. Littler has also discovered the joys of flogging his own face. His recently launched Nuke Merchandise Shop has been nothing short of a goldmine. Fans can grab replica shirts, darts, hoodies, and £17 T-shirts, or, if they’re feeling particularly flush, fork out £200 for a signed photo. Proof, if it were ever needed, that star power in darts isn’t just measured by three-dart averages.
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And Littler isn’t stopping there. While most teenagers are busy figuring out which takeaways deliver past midnight, he’s busy broadening his portfolio. A separate company now handles his merchandise empire, keeping it neatly away from his playing income. On top of that, he’s dipped a toe into property – because apparently, being World Champion, World No. 2, and a millionaire before your first hangover isn’t quite enough.
But even the teenager has found that America isn’t the land of free and easy branding. His bold attempt to trademark Luke the Nuke across the Atlantic was met with the dreaded words from the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Total refusal. Denied.
The reasons were less to do with the brand itself and more about paperwork – and it turns out Littler’s off-stage game needs a bit of sharpening. The USPTO complained he hadn’t provided a proper email address, failed to confirm his identity, forgot to appoint a US-based legal rep, and hadn’t even defined what classes of goods he wanted to flog. In short: rookie mistakes.
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The notice itself read like a slap on the wrist: Notice of Provisional Full Refusal. The USPTO must receive applicant’s response within six months of the date on which the notification was sent. Translation: fix your admin, or your American dream goes up in smoke.
Trademark experts were quick to remind everyone why this matters. A registered trademark isn’t just a fancy bit of paperwork; it’s the legal shield that protects a brand from knock-offs and dodgy imitations. It’s what lets you slap your logo on a hoodie without worrying someone else will beat you to the punch.
Luckily for Littler, he’s already got his UK bases covered, so fans on home turf can keep buying his branded gear without fear of fakes flooding the market. And while the US trademark may be temporarily parked, his profile back in Britain is skyrocketing at a pace even his accountants might struggle to keep up with.
After all, it’s not every day a teenager walks into adulthood with a world title, a business empire, and a seven-figure bank balance. The only thing missing? A driver’s licence.
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