Jan Smit has not succeeded in registering his face as a trademark. The European Intellectual Property Office ruled that the singer’s face is not special enough for this, his manager confirmed on Friday after reports from RTL News.
According to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), Smit has a “face in the crowd” – in other words, a face like so many others – and a brand must be distinctive.
“Pretty special,” says Smits manager Aloys Buijs about that statement. He states that the singer is a brand in himself and that it is part of protecting his face. But Smit wanted a European registration and Smit is too unknown in the European Union, says EUIPO.
The request was submitted by Smit’s team in 2015. This happened on the advice of Jaap Buijs, Aloys’ father, who was Smit’s manager at the time. A year later the request was rejected. “We then filed an objection. We responded to this last week,” says Buys.
The manager says that an objection is also being lodged against the new decision. “We won’t leave it at that. Then anyone and everyone can make off with your face.”
This does not mean that everyone can put Smit’s head on products and sell them. The singer has portrait rights, like everyone else. This can prevent publication of photos in which you appear.
2024-01-05 13:00:12
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