Hey Everyone,
I thought this was an interesting and weird bit of trademark news. Ice Cube is alleging that Robinhood used his likeness and trademark without consent in one of their editorial/blog articles. He claims it’s an act of targeted retaliation for his association with an attorney who is suing Robinhood over their GameStop trading limits.
Aside from this unique set of facts, I also thought it was interesting that Robinhood claims their use of the Trademark was for non-commercial purposes. It made me wonder more generally about the nature of a brand’s blog. Is Robinhood’s blog an editorial as they claim, or is it really just an advertisement for their core business of stock trading services? I could see that distinction being relevant when determining trademark “use” for services here in Canada. Maybe I’m a cynic, but I usually see a brand’s blog as just one big, roundabout attempt to sell me stuff.
*Update – I ended up writing my project/paper on this and have added it here. I look at how Ice Cube’s claim might have been treated in Canada and the “use” issue for company blogs. IP Law Project – Christian Garton
Communications Law