Frettens Banner Image

News & events

Kylie v Kylie - Trademark Battle

A trademark battle between Kylie Minogue and Kylie Jenner has been raging for the last year.

Kylie Jenner shot to fame in the US reality TV show ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’. She has been trying to trademark the name Kylie and register the mark "KYLIE" in the US for "advertising services" and "endorsement services".

But she has been blocked by the veteran Australian actress and pop star Kylie Minogue, best known for hits including ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ and ‘Can't Get You Out Of My Head’. Minogue’s legal team filed an opposition in early 2016, referring to possible confusion and damage to Minogue’s brand and highlighting her existing Kylie-related global trademarks, products and also the website www.kylie.com

After a long and heated battle, the Kylies appear to have reached a settlement. In January, Minogue’s legal team officially withdrew its opposition, enabling Jenner’s application to proceed. This indicates that they may have agreed to a settlement. Neither side has publicly commented.

In addition, Kylie Jenner has tried separately tried to trademark her full name for a range of clothing and accessories. This has been rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office and her team are appealing the decision.

Frettens Commercial Partner, Matthew Fretten, comments “This is an interesting case involving trade mark protection of an individual’s own name as a brand, it highlights what a valuable asset brands and trademarks are and why it is important that business owners do not overlook trademarking their own names where this name is used as a brand. It’s known as intellectual property and it is crucial for all companies to both secure and exploit this asset in order to protect and promote their business effectively.”

Our Commercial Team, based in Christchurch, also cover Bournemouth, Poole and the New Forest. If you have any questions, you only have to ask us at Frettens. Please call 01202 499255 and Matthew or his team, will be happy to chat about your situation and you particular requirements.

The content of this article, blog or video is not intended as specific legal advice. For tailored assistance, please contact a member of our team.

home