Eponymous Lex: Legal Risks of Designer Names

Text: "The finest trademark lawyers in the world wear Joseph Abboud."

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Naming a brand after oneself is a longstanding tradition in the fashion world, but as a number of designers have learned this can be a risky enterprise. Professor Scafidi explains in this article on Quartz:

“Once your name is a corporate asset, then investors are going to want a piece of that corporate asset—or full ownership of that corporate asset—which is great as long as you and your investors are getting along,” Scafidi says. “But typically there will be some point at which you, the designer, and your investors part company, and that leaves you walking nameless into the night.”

For more on this issue, including the story behind Joseph Abboud’s quest to regain the right to use his own name, check out the whole article here.