Celebrity self-obsessions never end. The news that the otherwise nice Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z were planning to trademark their daughters name has been greeted with smirks in some quarters. Why would anyone be so interested in Blue Ivy? It is a great name but there are many more like that. If all the Victorians decided to trademark their names then it might have been very difficult for people to call themselves anything. This is a selfish move that is a major mistake on the part of the parents. They are turning a rather lovely event into something that is shallow and commercial. The question is: why did they do it?
Conceit comes before a heavy fall
We were all pleased to hear about the birth of Blue Ivy Carter until the parents came in with their silly ideas. She is a household name and one would presume that there will be many that want to copy that name for their own. It is a long tradition of human history that people are capable of naming their children after some figures that they find inspirational or attractive in some other way. According to Rolling Stone, the 30 year old Beyonce and the 43 year old Jay-Z have filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Hopefully such an application will be declined for attempting to curtail a public service.
Apparently the parents feel that there could be a surge in exploitative products. That always happens with celebrity children and one might add that the parents tend to encourage it. They are not really protecting their daughter’s name but rather setting the scene for some ugly confrontations about the ownership of the brand. Of course it is ironic that they intend to use Blue Ivy as a title for a line of baby products such as carriages and diaper bags. Who is exploiting who?
