Singer prince’s estate applies to trademark the colour purple

Paisley Park Enterprises, the company which holds the legendary singer Prince’s estate, has filed for the colour purple to be trademarked for films and live and recorded music. The application also mentions “operating a museum and providing guided tours of the museum”.^[1]

The trademark application (Serial No. 88155481)  is solely for the colour purple which is similar to the Pantone shade called Love Symbol #2 which was created to commemorate the memory of the late singer who passed away in 2016. The application mentions that the colour has been synonymous with the singer’s image since the release of his hit album Purple Rain in 1984.

Takeaways:

1. Prince has been famous for fiercely protecting his IP. It is to be noted that he had filed a lawsuit against eBay and YouTube for hosting his copyrighted music. His company also tried to trademark the phrase “purple one” in relation to concerts, music, video games and various assorted consumer good.
    
2. This application covering the colour purple is filed with a motive of stopping musicians from using the colour in their albums and live performances. It is to be noted that a lot of performers use similar lights and effects on stage or wear similar clothes to create the aura of a Prince performance.
    
3. Colour as a trademark has been a contentious issue in recent years.  Christian Louboutin was allowed to trademark their famous shoes with red soles by US court in 2012. However, the same was rejected in India in 2018.
    
4. Chocolate manufacturer Mondelez (Cadbury’s) has been trying to register its purple shade trademark for years. It was successfully opposed by Nestlé in the UK courts in 2016.

^[1] ABC News. (2018). Prince’s estate wants to trademark ‘the colour purple’. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-30/princes-estate-wants-to-trademark-the-colour-purple/10445730 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2018].