Manchester- based businessman Georgios Demetriou of Licence to
Thrill Ltd ("the Applicant") recently applied to register
the phrase "BLACK LIVES MATTER" under trade mark
application no. 3497647 and "I CAN'T BREATHE" under
trade mark application no. 3497640 at the United Kingdom
Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). These phrases are associated
with the current worldwide protests following the death of George
Floyd in the USA.
The mark "BLACK LIVES MATTER" was filed for in black
and white relation to various clothing goods. The mark "I
CAN'T BREATHE" was filed for in black and white for a
wider range of goods and classes including fundraising for charity,
charity wristbands and articles of clothing. Same was filed with
the disclaimer "This trademark is to be used for
charitable work and not for personal gain on the back on recent
unfortunate events." These trade mark applications were
filed on 06 June 2020.
