It’s a Barbie World – The importance of protecting your brand
31st July 2023 by Tiff Elmer
All social media at the moment is ranting and raving about the new Barbie movie. It started as a kids doll in 1959 and now it’s a mainstream Hollywood film and Mattel, the American company which created Barbie is worth billions of pounds. It has certainly evolved over time and the foundation of this successful strategy lies in its strong intellectual property portfolio benefiting from its distinctive brand identity including the colour pink its name, logo and slogan.
Barbie has built up its intellectual property portfolio which includes trade marks, designs, patents, and copyright protection. Some of the key successes include:
- The first Barbie logo was registered in 1959 which has changed five times before Mattel reverted back to the original in 2009.
- 23 registered trade marks in the EU and over 30 in the UK which consists of Barbie’s name and a variation of the logo. Barbie’s boyfriend Ken is also protected as a trade mark.
- The shade of pink associated with Barbie is protected as a colour in the US.
- Barbie products have patent and industrial design protection. The first Barbie patent in 1961 related to a “doll construction” as when first created, Barbie was unable to stand upright without support, but now Barbie’s feet have been flattened and this change has been protected by way of patent and industrial design protection.
- As part of the release of the Barbie movie, Mattel has entered into over 100 licensing deals allowing licensees to sell products and services using Barbie branding to include an O.P.I Barbie nail polish, Gap’s Barbie apparel, Crocs, NYX cosmetics, a Burger King pink sauce, pink Xbox controllers and UNO cards. Barbie is everywhere!
Come on Barbie lets go party! This strong intellectual property portfolio means you have a lot to be celebrating!
Barbie shows how valuable intellectual property can be to a business and if you want to know more about this, then please contact Tiff Elmer at t.elmer@laceyssolicitors.co.uk or on 01202 377 814.
Tiff Elmer
Solicitor — Corporate and Commercial
Direct dial: 01202 377814
Tiff joined Laceys in July 2021 as a paralegal and qualified as a Solicitor in 2023 deciding to specialise in Corporate and Commercial law. Tiff has relocated back home to Bournemouth after living in Bristol for four years where she completed her LPC at the University of Law, and worked in a large commercial law firm as a trade mark paralegal. Before moving to Bristol, Tiff completed her Law LLB Hons degree at Southampton Solent University in 2016 graduating with a 1st.
Tiff has particular experience in intellectual property law and assists her team to advise a range of businesses in various sectors in relation to intellectual property matters and commercial contracts, and is enjoying expanding her knowledge and skills within the commercial field.
Outside of work Tiff enjoys being outdoors by going for long runs, hikes and paddle boarding around the beautiful South Coast with family and friends.
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