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).

Bezos
Jeff Bezos and Lijtmaer’s Logo

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:

  1. Jeff Bezos is an extremely well-known person
  2. The name “Bezos” is quite rare
  3. The products and services listed in the trademark registration are clearly linked to the Amazon founder
  4. 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.

Bezos
Lijtmaer can also be found online as an Amazon Seller

 

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