William and Kate image rights and trademarks

In a move often associated with celebrities, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have set up companies, with the intention of protecting their trademark rights. The companies will sell officially endorsed products but more importantly allow the couple to enforce their trademark rights against anyone purporting to harm their image. Kensington Palace stressed that the companies will not be your average company but merely lay dormant until illegal infringement occurs. In reality however it is unlikely that the ‘royal tat’ produced by souvenir companies will stop trading. What it will mean is that you will be able to purchase quality merchandise that the Royal Couple approve of.

Trademarks and image rights are very important in the modern world; a big proportion of a celebrity’s earning can come from the use of their image to endorse products. David Beckham despite being retired from football earned £14 Million from the use of his image in 2012. This shows that brand endorsement and use of a celebrities image must be protected to stop others profiting from the use of their trademarks.

By Law student Tom Mould