Pick any name....except Blue Ivy, that's mine!

They are considered to be one of celebrity’s ‘power couples’. But did Jay-Z and Beyonce try to push this status too far when they attempted to register their daughter’s name, Blue Ivy, as a US trade mark? A trademark is defined as ‘A symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product’; essentially its purpose is to let people know that the product is genuine by highlighting its trade source. Therefore many argue that the couples attempt to trade mark their daughter’s name does not demonstrate appropriate use of trade mark rights, and thus far it has been unsuccessful in the US.

They have, however, found greater success in Europe, where Blue Ivy Carter has been registered as a Community Trade Mark for various products, ranging from cosmetics, hair products, to DVDs, clothing and pushchairs. By registering their daughter’s name as a trade mark, Jay-Z and Beyonce are attempting to convert the name into intellectual property, which can therefore be bought and sold. This would ironically be defeating the original purpose by losing them the right to stop others trading under the same name. Funnily enough, the couple were not the only ones to make a bid to trade mark the name, with two separate sets of papers being filed within two weeks of the baby being born, however they were also unsuccessful.

Their failure to have Blue Ivy Carter successfully registered as a trade mark is proof that money can’t buy everything…but Jay-Z and Beyonce gave it a pretty good go!