WTR.com reports…
- Trademark applications for I CAN’T BREATHE and BLACK LIVES MATTERS filed in UK
- Businessman behind applications tells WTR he plans non-profit entity using the terms
- Explains that, if trademark is granted, he would seek royalty fees for third-party use
Two trademark applications have been filed at the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) for the terms BLACK LIVES MATTER and I CAN’T BREATHE, terms associated with the ongoing worldwide protests following the death of US citizen George Floyd. The applicant behind the trademarks, Manchester-based businessman Georgios Demetriou, tells WTR that he plans to launch a non-profit organisation to help disadvantaged children – and, if the marks are granted, will seek a royalty fee from any other entities that uses the terms in the UK.
As WTR reported yesterday, a number of trademark applications have recently been filed in the European Union, United Kingdom, and United States for the terms GEORGE FLOYD and I CAN’T BREATHE. It follows Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice and police violence sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota police custody, with a video showing Floyd pinned down for more than eight minutes and repeating the phrase ‘I can’t breathe’ as an officer knelt on his neck.
Following our reporting, WTR identified two more trademark applications in the UK that are directly related to the protests. The applications are for the terms I CAN’T BREATHE and BLACK LIVES MATTER, and were both filed on 6 June 2020 by the applicant Georgios Demetriou of Licence to Thrill Ltd. The BLACK LIVES MATTER application is being sought for various clothing goods. On the other hand, the I CAN’T BREATHE application is for a wider range of goods and classes (including fundraising for charity, charity wristbands, and articles of clothing) and contains a disclaimer on the application which states: “This trademark is to be used for charitable work and not for personal gain on the back of recent unfortunate events.”
These trademark applications have sparked some anger with attorneys that WTR has communicated with. For example, Urquhart-Dykes & Lord partner Mark Green asked whether the filings “are exploiting one of the most politically charged events in the last 50 years”, adding: “I may be wrong, but Licence to Thrill seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. If they are, I trust they will be assigning any rights they may obtain to the official Black Lives Matter movement in the USA.”
Read full report at
