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Rhythmix still waiting for Syco to withdraw trademark application
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 9 November 2011
Oh dear, the Rhythmix charity which recently fought to stop an ‘X-Factor’ group from using its name has issued a second open letter to Simon Cowell asking why his company is still proceeding with its trademark application for ownership of the name in the music space.
As previously reported, there was much online outrage last month after it emerged that producers of ‘X-Factor’ had basically told the music education charity where to go when it expressed concerns that having an ‘X’ group using and attempting to trademark the name Rhythmix would hinder its fund-raising activities, which include staging music events and selling merchandise using the name.
Eventually, after the boss of the Rhythmix charity published an open letter asking Simon Cowell to step in, ‘X-Factor’ bosses announced that their girl group – formed and named within the programme itself – would change their name to Little Mix. But the charity published a second letter yesterday asking why Cowell’s company is still seemingly proceeding with its trademark application.
Again addressing Cowell directly, the new letter reads: “Unfortunately, whilst your company Simco and your programme ‘The X-Factor’ have managed to stage a PR event publicly changing the name of your contestants, actually the legal position hasn’t changed at all, and neither has the outcome for the charity. Despite writing repeatedly to your legal representatives for two weeks asking that the public announcement of the name change be replicated by the actual action required (withdrawing the trademark application), as of 8 Nov Simco are still seeking to exclusively trademark the name Rhythmix. There can be only two reason for this. 1) Simco intend to change the name of the band back at some future date or 2) Simco and/or its legal representatives want to use their control of the identity to force the charity to accept terms and conditions before permitting the charity to continue to trade”.
Of course it’s possible that the failure to initiate a withdrawal of the Rhythmix trademark application, or to inform the charity of any intent to do so, is down to slackness on the part of Simco or its legal reps rather than any sinister hidden agenda. Although you’d think, given the sensitivities around this dispute, Syco execs would have been keen to act quickly. Then again, when it comes to public image and reputation, lawyers are frequently inept, despite many media lawyers calling themselves ‘reputation management experts’ these days.
One hopes Team Syco can do the right thing and respond to the Rhythmix charity promptly and settle this whole sorry matter once and for all.
