Snooze you Lose! A short story about a Band and a Trade Mark

Another day another band fall out. The Smiths.

So Rock'n'Roll.

You're probably thinking 'so what'. Bands fall out all the time.

And you would be right.

But they usually fall out over the same thing - money (public performance rights, recording rights, royalties).

Not over the name - or in this case, the trade mark.

Reading into this spat between Morrissey and Marr, one thing stood out.

2018

The year the trade mark was filed. Why so late?

The Smiths two UK album number 1s came in 1985 and 1992.

Trade marks work off a first come, first served basis.

A basic google search of the band reveals a world of hooky look-a-like merch, memorabilia and products.

Which is unsurprising given the delay in protecting the name.

This ding-dong, like so many others, could have have been avoided by protecting the name on time.

It's rule 1.01 when it comes to trade marks.

That's all.