Eyebrows raised
It could hardly have come as a surprise to Lijtmaer that the eyebrows of Amazon’s world-famous founder, Jeff Bezos, shot up upon seeing this registration. According to Bezos, this is a case of trademark registration made in bad faith, and he filed a request for the cancellation of the trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

A clear-cut case
Unsurprisingly, the mighty Bezos came out on top. According to EUIPO, this is a fairly clear-cut case of bad faith. Several factors played an important role:
- Jeff Bezos is an extremely well-known person
- The name “Bezos” is quite rare
- The products and services listed in the trademark registration are clearly linked to the Amazon founder
- Diego Lijtmaer stated on his LinkedIn page that “Bezos was named to honour the person who transformed the internet, e-commerce and the logistics worlds.”
After such a statement on LinkedIn, denying it becomes pointless.

Musk and Jobs
So, if you’re planning to register the name of a famous person as a trademark, here are a few tips:
Don’t brag on your website about how cleverly you’re associating with the famous person. Avoid choosing someone with a rare (last) name, and don’t link the trademark to products or services that relate to the celebrity. For example, using “Musk” as a brand for a self-driving car is out of the question, while “Jobs” for an ice cream might just be feasible. But the best tip remains: just come up with a good brand name yourself and steer clear of these kinds of celebrities.
Bas Kist
Banner image: Daniel Oberhaus, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image Jeff Bezos (in text): Seattle City Council from Seattle, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons