Marvel prepares to pounce on Black Panther name sake trade marks

Marvel Characters, a subsidiary of Disney, looks to be set to pounce on two US trade mark applications which appear to potentially conflict with a Black Panther place name.

Black Panther is a Marvel comic book character and the subject of a 2018 film which grossed $1.3 billion.

Within the film and comics, Wakanda is a fictional country Black Panther lives in.

To protect this name, Marvel have the US trade mark for ‘Wakanda’ in class 28 for games and toys, and a second mark for ‘World of Wakanda’ for comic books.

Two trade mark applications have been filed which could potentially conflict with these registrations.

Wilsondom, based in Kentucky, has filed an application to protect ‘Wacoinda’ in respect of cryptocurrencies.

Secondly, an application for ‘Wakanda Wine Fest’ was filed by Davon Hatchett to cover wine tastings.

At this stage, Marvel have filed a request to extend the time to oppose on both applications. Therefore, there is no guarantee that they will oppose, but with the film of this year such a big hit it is likely they will not let the applications slide.

If you would like more information on trade marks, please do not hesitate to ask the Trademarkroom team.

By Ellis Sweetenham