A trade mark is a form of intellectual property (IP) used by both businesses and people to protect names, logos and aspects of branding from being used by other parties.
It is common for celebrities to apply for trade marks on their own names, giving them the legal standing to block any unlicensed use of their assets, for example, illegal third-party merchandise.
Many celebrities utilise the power of their following to venture into new business categories, and seek to register trade marks that protect these from theft and misuse. We have collated this list containing some of the more interesting trade mark applications placed by high-profile celebrities.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Former Governor of California and professional bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger has had an incredibly life and career, spanning sports, film, television and politics.
It is no surprise that he has gone on to become a prolific businessman, with strong ties to his roots in bodybuilding.
Arnold currently owns a trade mark in the ‘Entertainment services in the nature of fitness and bodybuilding competitions’ category for the name of one of the highest-regarded bodybuilding competitions “Arnold Classic” and “Arnold Sports Festival”.
Source: https://www.gerbenlaw.com/trademarks/celebrities/arnold-schwarzenegger/
Blue Ivy Carter
Born in 2012 to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter has a recognisable name for many of Gen Z.
Submitted shortly after her birth, Beyoncé’s company BGK successfully filed for a trade mark of “Blue Ivy Carter” in a wide range of goods & services categories.
This trade mark protects against any unlicensed use of the name for those included goods and services categories, spanning hair accessories, fragrances and beauty products to vehicles and medical instruments.
The trade mark additionally allows the name to be licensed to businesses for brand deals and collaborations on exclusive product lines.
The trade mark does not restrict parents from using the same name for their newborn child, however. Instead, the trade mark places a legal barrier on any unlicensed individual or company attempting to use the name for financial or commercial purposes.
Source: https://www.today.com/parents/trademarking-baby-name-going-too-far-777398
Curtis Jackson
Or better known as 50 Cent, the American rapper owns a trade mark on his stage name, which is typical for high-profile musicians. What made this example noteworthy, was the 2008 lawsuit that followed the “Why Pay More?’ campaign by Taco Bell.
50 Cent claimed, in a federal lawsuit for $4 million, that the restaurant chain’s ad campaign included the trade marked name without permission, in a print ad that called for the performer to change his name to 79, 89 or 99 Cent.
The lawsuit stated that the trade mark had been stolen for the sake of free publicity without having to pay the rapper. The suit was eventually settled with the results remaining confidential.
Source: https://trademarks.justia.com/776/03/50-77603041.html
Donald Trump
The red hat, adorned with ‘Make America Great Again’, became an iconic symbol for Donald Trump in the lead-up to his 2016 election as President of the United States.
What many may not know is that the phrase may, in fact, be the only political slogan to have successfully registered for a trade mark, which allowed the campaign to profit off of the publicity caused by the divisive slogan through merchandise sales.
What is all the more unusual is the timing of the trade mark application.
Just one year after Donald Trump declared he would not be running for the 2012 presidential election, and only two weeks after Barack Obama had won his second race, a trade mark was submitted by DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, INC. for the phrase ‘Make America Great Again’.
Since the successful registration of the trade mark, 280 new applications have been made for phrases that closely resemble the campaign slogan, indicating the popularity and widespread recognition of the slogan. Yet, only two of these applications have been actively opposed by the organisation.
Source: https://time.com/5084673/donald-trump-make-america-great-again-trademark/
Ed Sheeran
Ready-meals, snacks, sauces and merchandise are looking to be part of the next business adventure for the prolific singer/songwriter, having applied for trade marks in these categories for his ‘Teddy’ logo.
Ed Sheeran is known as ‘Teddy’ by his close friends and family, and even has a teddy bear tattooed on his right arm.
The potential new business move to the food industry follows two previous ventures for Ed, after becoming the owner of the pub Bertie Blossoms and a successful collaboration with Heinz in 2019, which saw their iconic red sauce being branded as ‘Edchup’.
Edit: It was announced in February 2023 that a new line of hot sauces is to be released using the trade marked teddy-bear logo, named Tingly Ted's.
As of posting, the line of Hot Sauces is available for preorder and was first advertised on Ed Sheeran's social media accounts. Two flavours of Tingly Ted's are currently available making use of the trade marked logo with a 'Mixed by Ed & Ted' tag line. The logo and brand name have protections across three classes of goods, including sauces, meals and snacks, and merchandise.
Source: https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmcase/page/Results/1/UK00003836943
Gordon Ramsey
Celebrity, TV star, author and famous chef Gordon Ramsey is a prolific businessman, having launched a large number of restaurants, food lines and brands across the globe under his own name.
With over 70 trade marks currently registered or pending approval including “Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen’, ‘Great Burger’ and ‘Street Pizza by Gordon Ramsey’, Ramsey’s name not only represents a significant figure in pop culture but also a mark of endorsement from the globally-recognised chef that holds significant commercial value.
A full list of Gordon Ramsey’s registered and pending trade marks can be found here.
In addition to the expansive business empire under Gordon Ramsey’s name, it has also been rumoured that the celebrity chef considered submitting an application for a trade mark on the catch phrase “Idiot sandwich” from his viral moment during James Corden’s late-night chat show in 2015, that has amassed 13m views on YouTube alone.
The trade mark has not yet been submitted for registration, but the phrase has made its way to merchandise and clothing in the US including a pair of ear muffs that resemble the two pieces of bread from the viral video.
Sources: https://www.gerbenlaw.com/trademarks/celebrities/gordon-ramsay/#88147121, https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/20378252/gordon-ramsay-trademark-idiot-sandwich/
Hugh Hefner
Whilst you might assume that business-owners hold trade marks on the names, logos and brand designs for their organisations, it is often the case that the exact opposite is true.
Corporate entities may, in fact, own registered trade marks on the names of their business owners. Such was the case for Playboy Enterprises International Inc. , who successfully filed for a trade mark application for the name and signature of its founder and editor-in-chief ‘Hugh Hefner’ in 1996.
The registration was one of many trade marks for the organisation, who also own protections on a number of applications including Playboy, Playmates and a many number of bunny logos. However, following the death of Hugh Hefner in September 2017, this particular trade mark was either cancelled or expired in May of 2020.
Sources: https://trademarks.justia.com/751/95/hugh-75195963.html, https://trademarks.justia.com/owners/playboy-enterprises-international-inc-2665200/
Kim & Kanye
During their seven years of marriage, power couple and pop culture icons Kim Kardashian and Kanye West became parents to four children; North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm West.
Being well-versed in the commercial value that can be tied to a surname, the star of TV show ‘The Kardashians’ filed trade mark applications for the names of each of their four children in a wide array of goods and services categories, from entertainment services to baby clothing and furniture.
The trade marks on her children’s names form only a small part of Kim’s growing list of pending or approved trade mark applications, which also include her personal business ventures such as ‘SKKN by Kim’, ‘KKW Beauty’ and ‘Kimoji’.
Kim has previously been subject to scrutiny for previous trade mark applications concerning her ‘Kimono’ lingerie and shapewear business venture, receiving criticism for cultural appropriation of the name given to a traditional japanese garment.
However, the criticism was largely unfounded, as the specifics of the trade mark application only sought protection for a specific type-face of the word Kimono drawn by Kanye West, as trade marks for generic terms and words are typically unsuccessful.
Sources: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/kim-kardashian-kimono-trademark-controversy-explained, https://www.gerbenlaw.com/trademarks/celebrities/kim-kardashian/
Michael Buffer
Prolific sports commentator and narrator Michael Buffer is most recognised by his token catch phrase “Let’s get ready to rumble”.
Featuring dramatic pauses, a deep tone and boisterous delivery, the phrase has been used by Buffer to introduce some of the most popular boxing and sporting events in recent American history, and was an instant hit with the public when first heard in the ring.
Recognising its growing popularity, Buffer created Ready to Rumble LLC who successfully filed applications to trade mark the phrase in 1995, and hired a team of attorneys to maintain renewals and objections.
It is reported that Buffer has now earned over $400 million in licensing fees thanks to his successful trade mark for the phrase.
Source: https://secureyourtrademark.com/blog/trademarked-phrases-lets-get-ready-to-rumble/
Paris Hilton
Continuing the theme of protecting catch phrases and iconic moments from pop culture, we are reminded of the trade mark for “That’s Hot” by Paris Hilton.
Hilton’s rise to fame included a role in reality TV show ‘“The Simple Life’, placing her in many ordinary situations for which she was unprepared to handle thanks to her slightly entitled upbringing.
In a number of episodes, she was heard exclaiming ‘that’s hot’ over a range of funny circumstances.
Hilton successfully registered a US trade mark for the phrase in 2007 for commercial use with a clothing line, and features amongst her large portfolio of trade marks including ‘Heiress’,‘Paris in Love’ and ‘Paris Hilton’.
Sources: https://www.marklitwak.com/blog/paris-hiltons-thats-hot,
Conclusion
The world of trade marks includes a vast range of intellectual property protections for all kinds of businesses and individuals, and we hope you have enjoyed learning about a range of trade mark applications made by celebrities.
It is clear to see that a well thought out trade mark application can provide a vast amount of commercial and financial opportunity when tied to the names or business ventures of high-profile figures.
If you would like more information on how a trade mark could benefit you or your business, get in touch with the chartered trade mark attorneys at Tennant IP.
