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Thought Beyonce and Jay-Z were pretty clever when they came up with the name Blue Ivy for their newborn daughter? Well, so did they, and they don't want anyone capitalizing on it. According to The Washington Post, that's why the couple filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 26: to protect their baby's name from being used by others hoping to take advantage of "Blue Ivy" fever.
If you think that sounds paranoid, think again. The Washington Post reports that fashion designer Joseph Mbeh submitted an application to trademark "Blue Ivy Carter NYC" on Jan. 11, just four days after the baby's birth, but was denied. He planned to produce a line of children's clothing under the name, and later issued a statement saying the whole incident was a big misunderstanding. Though he hadn't done so at the time, he said he planned to pitch the fashion line to Jay-Z and Beyonce for their approval.
Another applicant tried to trademark the name "Blue Ivy Carter Glory IV" for a line of fragrances, but was also turned dow. In both cases, the trademark office refused the request because the name belonged to a "very famous infant."
Beyonce and Jay-Z's application is still pending, but should go through without a hitch since parents are "legally authorized to trademark the names of their minor children."
One Wisconsin boutique is in luck, though. The owners of a clothing store named Blue Ivy filed for a trademark back on Jan. 19, 2011, and the request was approved in August -- well before Beyonce ever announced she was pregnant. Talk about good timing! Now they can hang on to the name or, as the Post suggests, sell it to the Carters if they ever make an offer.
There have been some concerns raised by how quickly federal officers acted on the Carter's trademark filing. Usually it takes several months for those applications to see the light of day, but Blue Ivy's has seemingly been fast-tracked. But, in all likelihood, the folks at the patent office just expected to see an influx of Blue Ivy-based trademarks and tried to stymie them as quickly as possible.
"The agency will identify actual or potential filing trends for trademarks with similar examination issues," Cynthia Lynch, administrator for trademark policy and procedure, explains to the Post. When a particularly popular name or phrase -- "Shock and Awe," "The Situation," "Occupy," "1%," "99%" -- gets thrust into the public awareness, the trademark office will see a spike in applications.
So kudos to Jay-Z and Beyonce for bearing the most pop culturally-significant newborn in a long, long time -- and for having the wisdom to get her name trademarked ASAP.
