Beyoncé wins 12-year-long battle to trademark daughter Blue Ivy's name
What's the story
Beyoncé has won a 12-year-long legal battle for the trademark of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter's name.
The pop icon was awarded the rights to the phrase "Blue Ivy" on Tuesday, after a long-drawn court case against a small Wisconsin boutique that had owned the trademark since September 2009, according to The Trademark Official Gazette.
The legal win comes after years of fighting with federal regulators and others claiming prior use of the name.
Trademark tussle
Beyoncé's initial trademark application faced opposition
Beyoncé's quest to secure her daughter's name started in 2012 when she first applied for the trademark via her company, BGK Trademark Holdings LLC.
However, wedding planner Veronica Morales opposed the application, saying her business had been operating under the name Blue Ivy Events for three years before Beyoncé's filing.
In 2020, a tribunal ruled in Beyoncé's favor, saying Morales's event planning company and Blue Ivy Carter's name "were not enough alike."
Trademark tribulations
Beyoncé faced another hurdle in trademark pursuit
Despite winning the 2020 tribunal, Beyoncé's attorneys didn't file for "Blue Ivy," leaving it in limbo.
The pursuit was revived in November 2023 when she reapplied for the trademark.
But another challenge arose from a Wisconsin boutique that had owned the Blue Ivy logo since 2011.
The examiner found the store's logo and Blue Ivy Carter's name to be "confusingly similar," complicating this legal battle further.
Trademark triumph
Beyoncé's trademark victory and future implications
The Wisconsin boutique didn't contest Beyoncé's application, clearing the way for her to file the trademark officially.
This was formally announced in The Trademark Official Gazette on December 31.
The document noted that any party believing they would be harmed by this registration has until January 30 to file a notice of opposition with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
If no objections are raised by then, Beyoncé's attorneys will receive a Notice of Allowance, securing the trademark rights.
Trademark intent
Beyoncé's motive behind trademarking Blue Ivy's name
In 2013, rapper Jay-Z, Beyoncé's husband, and Blue Ivy Carter's father, told Vanity Fair that the couple sought the trademark to prevent others from profiting off their daughter's name.
"People wanted to make products based on our child's name, and you don't want anybody trying to benefit off your baby's name," he said.
The couple also has two other kids, twins Rumi and Sir Carter, for whom two trademarks are currently pending.