Vardy nets registered trade mark

A company acting on behalf of Rebekah Vardy has successfully registered the words WAGATHA CHRISTIE in relation to a wide range of goods and services, including cosmetics, jewellery and household products.

Trade marks have to be registered in relation to specific types of goods or services, and act as an indication of origin. Accordingly, the trade mark could not be used to prevent the media, for example, from using the phrase WAGATHA CHRISTIE in a descriptive sense to describe the events surrounding the defamation trial.

Furthermore, in order to obtain a trade mark registration, the applicant has to have “a bona fide intention” to use the trade mark in relation to the goods and services set out in the application. This is designed to prevent people from simply applying for a trade mark in order to stop others from being able to use it. It is therefore possible to challenge a trade mark registration on the grounds of “bad faith” if there was no such intention to use the mark.

It will therefore be interesting to see what use Rebekah Vardy makes of the mark, having lost her libel action against Coleen Rooney.