Greta Thunberg is registering her trademarks
In December 2019, Greta Thunberg was voted 2019 Personality of the Year by Time magazine.... The young Swedish activist begins 2020 by announcing that she has registered two trademarks: her name and the name of her movement "FridaysForFuture".
Why this approach? In addition to the classic reasons for registering a trademarkGreta Thunberg has put forward some rather specific reasons that guided her approach.
Greta Thunberg becomes a brand
The activist explained that he registered the trademark Greta Thunberg to prevent people from speaking on his behalf. She wants to control the use of her name. But also to prevent third parties from taking advantage of her movement's popularity to raise money.
She explained on Instagram that [his] name and the #FridaysForFuture movement were being used "constantly for commercial purposes without any agreement". With her trademark registrations, she hopes that no one will misrepresent her anymore.
With these deposits, the young Swedish woman also wants to protect the Fridays for Future movement. She hopes that this will enable her pro bono legal service "to take the necessary measures against persons or companies, etc. who try to use [the movement] for purposes that are not in accordance with what the movement stands for".
The creation of a foundation behind trademark registrations
Greta Thunberg also indicated that she had set up a foundation with her family. The purpose of this non-profit foundation will be to manage the money the activist receives. Indeed, with her international movement, she receives donations, royalties, but she has also received financial rewards.
In addition to registering trademarks, it is also a question of giving a legal structure to its movement and managing the money received in a transparent manner. Finally, the activist recalled that "the aim of the foundation will be to promote ecological, climatic and social sustainability as well as mental health".
Registering a trademark can thus make it possible to designate one's goods or services - but also, as Greta Thunberg demonstrates, to avoid appropriation by third parties. To maintain control over your name or activities, think about registering your trademarks.