Amalia and Brexit
It’s always the same story: shortly after a shocking or high-profile event, all kinds of opportunists rush to try to register the name of the event or the person involved as a trademark, hoping to profit commercially from it.
That has led to relatively innocuous applications like Amalia (the Dutch crown princess) and Brexit. Or Covfefe, the text from a mysterious 2017 tweet by Donald Trump that at the time generated a lot of media attention. There’s still no consensus on whether Trump fell asleep with his head on his keyboard while tweeting.
More serious
But more serious—and far more troubling—are trademark filings connected to tragic or heartbreaking events. The attempt to register Renee Good is one such case, alongside objectionable filings for names like George Floyd, the phrase “I can’t breathe”, MH17, and Je Suis Charlie.
George Floyd beer
As far as I can tell, none of these grim trademarks has become a commercial success. And perhaps that’s no surprise: these kinds of marks naturally provoke resistance. And besides: who would really want an MH17 mug or a George Floyd beer?
Bas Kist
Banner image: Shutterstock (2727000343), door Erman Gunes
