Beyoncé has won a battle in her war with a Massachusetts wedding planner over the right to trademark the name of her eldest daughter with rapper Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter.
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled on July 6 that consumers are unlikely to confuse Blue Ivy Carter with Morales’ business Blue Ivy Events.
Morales – who trademarked “Blue Ivy” – provided “no evidence suggesting they are related in a manner that would give rise to the mistaken belief that they emanate from the same source,” the TTAB decided.
Beyoncé's BGK Trademark Holdings applied to trademark her first daughter’s name for commercial use years ago but was blocked by Morales, who filed a notice of opposition.
Bey’s legal team fired back that Morales’ claim that “consumers are likely to be confused between a boutique wedding event planning business and Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of two of the most famous performers in the world, is frivolous and should be refused in its entirety.”
Reps for Beyoncé said her daughter is a “cultural icon” and that Morales runs a “small business” with a poor online presence and almost no social media followers, yet she has “exhibited a pattern and practice of affirmatively attempting to connect its brand with Blue Ivy Carter to increase its exposure and drum up business.”
At one point, Morales reportedly met with Beyoncé’s legal team and proposed ending the dispute by having the singer buy her wedding planning business for $10 million U.S. – a move Beyoncé’s team said proved Morales was simply looking for money.