Oh na na, what's her name? It seems as though Rihanna and DC Comics are in a legal battle over naming trademarks, and it's not looking pretty. As the "American Oxygen" singer looks to trademark her birth name Robyn for a forthcoming publication, the comic books brand is seeking to stop her, claiming that her moniker is too close to Batman's trustworthy sidekick Robin.
Last week (May 18), Billboard reported that Rihanna's trademarking brand Roraj Trade was looking to trademark the name Robyn for use of a "on-line non-downloadable general features magazine." However, DC Comics was not feeling that trademark, claiming that it comes too close to one-half of Batman & Robin.
Though Rihanna first looked to trademark Robyn in June 2014, DC Comics did not file its opposition until May 11.
DC Comics claims that Rihanna's attempted trademark will infringe on its copyright of the name Robin. DC Comics has released a slew of Robin related material over the years, including dolls, comic books, films and TV shows. Robin first appeared in 1940, 44 years before Robyn Fenty (a.k.a. Rihanna) was born.
DC Comics claims that Rihanna's planned Robyn trademark and online magazine is "identical and/or highly related" to the products that they already roll out each year. The company also claims that the consumer base of Rihanna's and DC Comics' has an overlap, causing likely confusion between fans of Robin's and fans of, well, Robyn's.
The case has yet to come to fruition.
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