Allpar has reported that Chrysler has been denied the rights to the legendary ‘Cuda name. Chrysler’s application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark office was denied due to the company failing to overcome objections that were raised last August.

Most notably, the ‘Cuda moniker conflicted with the “AAR ‘Cuda” trademark that’s already been registered to Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers of Santa Ana, California. Chrysler is currently attempting to get AAR to surrender the name.

The bottom line here is what does this all mean? Why would Chrysler be interested in regaining the trademark to the ‘Cuda name after losing the rights to it in February 2009? Especially after euthanizing Plymouth and neglecting this model since 1974? The likely answer is licensing rights, whether for Mopar, merchandising or new age ‘Cudas like Mr. Norms.

Sadly, the chances of Italian run Chrysler resurrecting Plymouth is far fetched at best. Reconstituting the ‘Cuda name would be way easier though and could be doable. Simply change out the grille and taillights and add four fender vents a la the ’71 model and voila, another retro muscle car to sell.

It’s unclear whether Chrysler still owns the rights to the “Barracuda” nameplate, but regardless, they’re sniffing around the U.S. Patent office. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Chrysler.