Playing with Brands: A dangerous Game of Permissible Ironic Statements?

2015-12-21

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PLAYINGWITHBRANDS:ADANGEROUSGAMEORPERMISSIBLEIRONIC
STATEMENTS?

CATHERINEBERGERONANDSTEVENBENTO*
ROBIC,
LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENT&TRADEMARKAGENTS

Thepracticeofspoofingfamousbrandsisnotnew.Whohasn’tseenan“Adihash”t-
shirt,withthefamousAdidaslogore-imaginedasacannabisleaf?Whatstartedas
simpleparodiesormockeriesofbrandsmorerecentlyhasbecomeatrendof
transformingwell-knownandfamoustrademarksintodistortedtrademarkswitha
commercialpurposeundertheguiseofconveyingsociallyconsciousmessages,
oftenthroughtheuseofirony.
Thisdistortingoffamousbrandscreateswhatcanbecharacterizedasironicmarks,
where“ironic”inthiscontextmaybeusedtoconveyameaningthatcaneasilytake
onsatiricorsarcasticdimensions.Inthepresentarticle,theexpression“ironicmark”
willbeusedtorefertoamarkresultingfromthemutationordenigrationofa
trademark,usuallyconsistingofabrandornamethatenjoysacertainamountof
fame,interpretedinasatiricalorironicwayinordertogiveitanewmeaning,while
maintainingtherecognizedorfamousdesignelementsthatenableconsumersto
associatetheironicmarkwiththeoriginalfamousbrand.

Ironicmarksoriginatedinthefashionindustryasareactiontothegrowing
resentmenttowardscapitalismandconsumerismthatembodyfamousmarks(Una
Mullally,“Howthefakefashionlabelmemegotcool(again)”,TheIrishTimes
(February18,2013)).Ironicmarksareaclearthreattosomeofthemostfamous
trademarksintheworld.Whatmayhavestartedasanattempttoridiculethe
targetedmarksortoshowdiscontentthattheproductsbearingthesemarksareof
lesserqualitythanpromised,hasbecomeaworldwidetrend.

Irrespectiveofthereasonsbehindthesuccessofthistrend,therearelegal
implicationsandpotentiallyseriousconsequencesfortheownersoffamousbrands
targetedbycreatorsofironicmarks.

©CIPS,2015*FromROBIC,LLP,amultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-markAgents.Catherine
BergeronisamemberofINTAFamousandWell-KnownMarks-CanadaSubcommittee.Publishedat
(2015-07-15)70:13INTABulletinVol.70No.13;
.Publication062.071.
.

ManifestationofIronicMarksinCanada
Undeniably,thefashionindustryisthebiggesttargetofironicmarks.Thefashion
industrysitsattheconfluenceofmusicandpopculture,therebyreachingalarge
consumermarketwithloadsofcreativityandwideappealforyouth.Accordingto
ValeriaNekhim:“Proponentsofthetrendargueitallowsindividuals,particularly
youngergenerationswhootherwisecan’taffordluxurywarestoemotionallyengage
withtheirfavoritebrandsinawaythat’scheekyandcool.”(ValeriaNekhim,
“DesignerParodiesAndTheLaw:ThatFunnyHomiésSweatshirtMightNotBe
Legal”,StyleCasterFashion(August29,2013)

Oneoftheironicfashionhousesthatappearstohavegarneredthemostmedia
attentionistheironicbrandHOMIÈS,asatireoftheHERMÈSlogo,createdbyBrian
Lichtenberg,aLosAngelesbaseddesignerspecializingincontemporarywomen’s
andmenswear.
Theindividualscreatingtheironicfashionhousesarewellawareofthefactthatthey
arepiggybackingonthegoodwilloffamousmarks.Whiledefendingsuchactionson
thegroundsofengaginginanti-establishmentrebellion,thisargumentbecomes
underminedwhentheironicfashionhousebecomesamainstreambrandadornedby
manyandnolongerpartofacounter-cultureinitiative.

Whileironicfashionseemstohavetakencenterstage,whenitcomestocapitalizing
onfamousfashionhouses,consumerbrandshavealsoseentheirfairshareof
satiricalrenditions.Forexample,thecreatorsofthesatirical“DumbStarbucks”
defendedtheirironicmarkonthebasisoffreedomofspeechandthe“fairuse”
doctrineintheUnitedStates.
NathanFielder,apopularCanadiancomedianandthecreatorofaDumbStarbucks
locationinLosAngeles,California,calledita“parodyartproject”thatmimickedthe
lookandfeelofatypicalStarbuckslocation.Notsurprisingly,DumbStarbucks
caughttheattentionoftherealStarbuckswhodidnotaccepttheargumentthatby
addingtheword“dumb,”theinfringersweremerely“makingfun”ofStarbucksand
thatuseofthefamoustrademarkwasjustifiedordefendedbyparodylaw.Although
thelegalcasewouldhavebeeninteresting,thismatternevermadeittoaU.S.court,
asDumbStarbuckswasservedbytheLosAngelesCountyDepartmentofPublic
Healthwithanoticeofclosureforoperatingwithoutavalidpublichealthpermit.