Just a few days before the release of the long-awaited Barbie movie, Mattel, owner of the famous Barbie dolls, finds itself in discussion, if not dispute, with the British House of Burberry. The latter wants to register the BRBY trademark, which Mattel considers too “similar” to its own.
Mattel has asked the US Trademark Office to reject Burberry’s BRBY trademark proposal. The reason? It is likely to sow doubt with its famous Barbie brand.
On Monday, the world-famous toymaker claimed in a filing that the British brand’s initials could mislead consumers into believing that it was associated with Barbie dolls and other various merchandising items. And this at a time when the Barbie movie is only two weeks away and the entertainment giant has just released a whole collection of candy-pink products.
Mattel argued that “BRBY” and “Barbie” are “visually similar” and “phonetically identical“. It therefore argued that consumers could regard “BRBY” as a “subset or extension of the Barbie trademarks“.
In the same filing, the American company points out that it uses its Barbie trademark in many areas other than dolls. In particular, it cites federal trademarks for products such as clothing, jewelry and cosmetics.
Last year, the English House, under the artistic direction of Daniel Lee, requested a federal trademark for BRBY. Now it’s up to the US Trademark Office to decide whether or not to grant it…
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