Beyonce Wins Court Battle Against Wedding Planner For ‘Blue Ivy Carter’ Trademark
Beyonce recently won a court battle against a wedding planner for the trademark of her daughter’s name “Blue Ivy Carter.”
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) sided with the “Black Parade” singer after a Massachusetts wedding planner attempted to block her attempt to secure the intellectual property rights for her 8-year-oldâs name, according to a report from Law and Crime.
The victory that Beyonce quietly won in a little-noticed ruling took place over a week ago. Beyonce has attempted to trademark her daughterâs name for years. The megastar has filed applications that cover everything from books to pacifiers to video games to shampoo, among other things.
However, wedding planner Veronica Morales called her business “Blue Ivy Events,” prior to Blue Ivy Carter being born. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) sent Morales a trademark registration for the mark âBlue Ivyâ in 2012 (the same year the daughter of BeyoncĂ© and Jay-Z was born) for her business.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 09: (L-R) Blue Ivy Carter and BeyoncĂ© attends the premiere of Disney’s “The Lion King” at Dolby Theatre on July 09, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Morales filed a ânotice of oppositionâ with TTAB, arguing that BeyoncĂ© shouldn’t be allowed to trademark âBlue Ivy Carterâ because there is a high risk of confusion between the two, on that basis.
In documents, Queen Bey said that Moralesâ âlikelihood of confusionâ argument was frivolous because consumers are unlikely to confuse âa boutique wedding event planning business and Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of two of the most famous performers in the world.â The Houston native referred to her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, as a âcultural icon.â
Morales responded to the star’s claim, citing that BeyoncĂ© and Jay-Z had no actual intention of using âBlue Ivy Carterâ in commerce, but rather, filed for trademark protection simply to stop other people from using the name. Said actions would be problematic under trademark law, which aims to protect marks only for exclusive commercial use.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 19: Jay Z, Blue Ivy Carter and Beyonce Knowles attend the 66th NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center on February 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Morales also accused BeyoncĂ© of engaging in fraud as she sought a trademark for a name she hadnât been intending to use for commercial purposes. Morales referred to a 2013 interview Jay-Z gave to Vanity Fair, titled âJay Z Has the Room.â In it, the Brooklyn rapper reportedly discussed his reasons for attempting to trademark his Blue Ivy’s name.
âPeople wanted to make products based on our childâs name, and you donât want anybody trying to benefit off your babyâs name. It wasnât for us to do anything; as you see, we havenât done anything. First of all, itâs a child, and it bothers me when thereâs no [boundaries]. I come from the streets, and even in the most atrocious sh– we were doing, we had lines: no kids, no mothersâ there was respect there. But [now] thereâs no boundaries. For somebody to say, This person had a kidâIâm gonna make a f—inâ stroller with that kidâs name. Itâs, like, whereâs the humanity?” Jay-Z said.
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 28: Recording artists Beyonce, Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy Carter attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
Both of Moralesâ arguments were unceremoniously smacked down by the TTAB, siding on July 6 with BeyoncĂ© on multiple grounds. The TTAB also criticized Morales for including extraneous documents in her brief to the board, deeming the move âunnecessary and a waste of time.â The board also noted that âattaching previously-filed evidence to a brief is neither a courtesy nor a convenience to the Board.â
