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Legal
Sugababes comment on Buena’s trademark application
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 26 August 2011
A spokesman for the Sugababes has issued a statement relating to one of the group’s former members, Mutya Buena, announcing earlier this week that she had secured ownership of the Sugababes trademark.
As previously reported, having announced her intent to register the Sugababes trademark in 2009, four years after leaving the group, Buena this week said on Facebook that her application had been successful. This despite representatives of the current incarnation of the girl group – who had previously failed to register the name themselves – filing an objection.
But, as previously noted, when you register a trademark you have to state the areas in which you want to own the mark, and Buena’s successful application related only to paper products, which, I think it’s fair to say, aren’t that central to a pop band’s operations. And as such the widely reported claim that Buena’s successful trademark application would require the current Babes to change their name isn’t true.
The group’s statement reads: “Further to ongoing media speculation and mis-reporting of the facts by various sources, we would like to clarify the following. Over four months ago (21 Apr 2011) it was officially confirmed by the European Trade Marks Department that Sugababes were successful in claiming their ongoing right to use the name ‘Sugababes’ for all areas of commercial activity that the band requires, namely within the music, sound recording and entertainment industry, as well as being granted extensive rights to produce a wide range of merchandise”.
“The trade mark rights for Class 16 (excluding those items which are already covered by Sugababes merchandise, eg posters, stickers, etc.) include certain paper and cardboard goods, such as stationery, paper gift wrap and paper gift wrapping ribbons. This is a category that currently holds no commercial interest for the band and, accordingly, the band has no immediate plans to challenge Ms Buena for these rights”.
So there you go. Still looking forward to Mutya’s Sugababes wrapping paper line.
