Part 3: If music be the food of love! Play on. A look at trade marks in the music industry by Solicitor Advocate Michael Coyle

Stormzy registers his trade mark. Stormzy has registered his name as a trademark to protect his brand across various products and services. The trademark, managed by Stormzy Limited, covers multiple classes, including:

• Class 3: Bleaching preparations, cleaning substances, soaps, perfumery, essential oils, cosmetics, hair lotions, and dentifrices.
• Class 9: Apparatus for recording, transmitting, storing, or reproducing sound, music, images, data, and videos.
• Class 14: Precious metals, jewellery, precious stones, horological and chronometric instruments.
• Class 16: Paper, cardboard, printed matter, bookbinding material, photographs, stationery, and related goods.
• Class 18: Leather goods, trunks, travelling bags, umbrellas, parasols, and walking sticks.
• Class 25: Clothing, footwear, headgear.
• Class 26: Lace, embroidery, ribbons, braid, buttons, hooks, eyes, pins, needles, and artificial flowers.
• Class 28: Games, playthings, gymnastic and sporting articles, decorations for Christmas trees.
• Class 38: Telecommunications services.
• Class 41: Education, providing of training, entertainment, sporting, and cultural activities.

Stormzy is able to keep control over the commercial use of his name thanks to this comprehensive trademark registration, which guarantees that his brand is legally protected across a variety of goods and services.

Additionally, Stormzy has ventured into hashtag-based branding with entities like #Merky Records. He has a pending EU trademark application for “#MERKY,” which has faced opposition from a Spanish company due to similarities with their mark “PERKY.” This highlights the complexities involved in registering hashtag trademarks, as they must meet standard trademark criteria and not be overly generic or descriptive.

In summary, Stormzy has proactively secured trademark registrations for his name and associated brands, reinforcing his legal rights and enabling him to expand his business ventures while protecting his intellectual property.

michael@trademarkroom.com

tmr@trademarkroom.com

Photograph courtesy of https://si-mitchell.co.uk/

Si Mitchell