Did Beyoncé Get Special Treatment from the PTO?

You may already know about singer Beyoncé’s well-publicized bid to trademark “Blue Ivy Carter,” the name of her and rapper Jay-Z’s newborn daughter. You may also recall that Joseph Mbeh, a fashion designer with no relation to the famous infant, tried to trademark her name two weeks before her superstar parents did (he’s since apologized). Now here’s an aspect of the Blue Ivy saga you probably didn’t hear about: The Patent and Trademark Office gave Blue Ivy–related trademark applications the sort of heightened attention that might make trademark lawyers and their clients turn green with envy.

Mbeh, Beyoncé’s holding company, and a company called Benton Clothier LLC applied to trademark variations of “Blue Ivy Carter” in the weeks after the infant’s birth, according to a search of the PTO trademark database. The PTO took two weeks to reject Mbeh’s bid. It also took two weeks to rule on Beyoncé’s application. That application, in case you’re wondering, was partially rejected on the grounds that someone had already trademarked the term “Blue Ivy” for certain commercial purposes (Beyoncé’s lawyers at Reed Smith can contest that initial ruling).