The Top 10 Biggest Trademark Battles of 2019
-
Rihanna Vs Dad
In a shocking turn of events this year, we saw a real-life legal dispute between singer and actress Rihanna, and her father, Ronald Fenty, the same name by which Rihanna created her own beauty business and branding, Fenty.
In January 2019, Rihanna took her father to court claiming he was taking advantage of their shared name to further his entertainment business on the back of her reputation and goodwill. The lawsuit is simple and alleges infringement of trademarks that Rihanna owns across the US, quoting the name ‘Fenty’ in the entertainment industry.
Following several cease and desist requests, the case was admitted to a US court stating: “Defendants continue to this date to use their misrepresentations for their commercial advantage and to mislead the public…This fraudulent conduct harms not only plaintiffs but the public at large and requires judicial intervention.”
Ronald Fenty began his entertainment firm in 2017, alongside business partner Moses Perkins, but claimed in a 2018 press release that the launch of their venture was “with” Rihanna, despite the singer having no involvement, and in fact, having quite a difficult relationship with her father.
The lawsuit reads: “Although Mr Fenty is Rihanna’s father, he does not presently, nor has he ever, had the authority to act on Rihanna’s behalf or had the right to use her Fenty mark, to exploit the goodwill of her Fenty brands or to solicit business on her behalf.”
No further news was reported on this story throughout 2019, so we can either assume they made up and are now in business together, or that Mr Fenty regretfully settled and ceased to use the name ‘Fenty’ in his business ventures.
