Prince lives on, in his trade mark form

Just days before his death, a trade mark application lodged by Prince was approved for publication in the US.

The application sought to protect the “Prince” name in classes 25 and 41, covering clothing and entertainment in the nature of live musical performances respectively.

The application was filed by Paisley Park Enterprises, Prince’s primary business entity. According to WIPR “Paisely Park Enterprises already owns 50 trademarks related to the late artist.  Others include ‘Purple Rain’, ‘Minneapolis Sound’ and ‘Prince and the Revolution’, referencing the name of his band.  Also listed is the famous prince symbol…”

It is widely considered that the new class 25 application was primarily intended to cover merchandise offerings alongside Prince’s tour events.

As reported in The Fashion Law blog, Jian DeLeon – a streetwear expert and senior menswear editor at WGSN commented:

“Concert ‘merch’ has just become part of the multimedia experience and another way for really smart artists to continue to monetize their brands, as more people stream music and the music industry looks for other avenues to bring in revenue.”

Given there will likely be Prince apparel sold or licensed by his estate, the class 25 mark seems to be safe, however the fate of the class 41 mark covering live tours seems somewhat less secure.