Encanto: Disney’s trademark applications

Hi everyone,

I’ve been loving the movie and soundtrack of “Encanto” lately, so I thought I’d do a dive into its trademark applications to the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office).

Here are a few interesting and fun facts:

  • I found 10 separate “Disney Encanto” trademark applications.
  • I noticed that one of the key differences between the separate marks is that each was registered into different “classes”, and each application was registered for multiple different classes. I was really mind-blown by how specific the descriptions within the categories of classes were. Professor Festinger did tell us in class that you had to specify what the uses of your mark will be in your trademark application, but I didn’t know what these different categories would look like. Here are a few examples from four of the ten trademark applications:
    • Trademark #1:

      Classes 22 (Games, Toys and Sporting Good), 23 (Cutlery, Machinery, Tools and Parts Thereof), 38 ( Prints and Publications)  and 50 (Merchandise Not Otherwise Classified):

      covers the categories of: toys, games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles (except clothing); hand-held units for playing electronic games for use with or without an external display screen or monitor; skins for covering and protecting apparatus; paper party favors; paper party hats; Christmas stockings; Christmas tree ornaments and decorations; snow globes

    • Trademark #2:
       Classes 1, 4, 6, 50, 51, 52:   *(see link above for names of these classes)
      covers the categories of: non-medicated cosmetics; non-medicated dentifrices; non-medicated toiletry preparations; fragrances; perfumes; all of the foregoing excluding soaps and hair-care related products and related to animated films.
    • Trademark #3:
    • Classes 21, 23, 26, 36, 38:   *(see link above for names of these classes)
      Covers the categories of: apparatus for recording, transmission, processing, and reproduction of sound, images, or data; digital media, namely, pre-recorded downloadable audio and video recordings, CDs, DVDs, high definition digital discs, mp3 files and mp4 files featuring live-action entertainment, animated entertainment, music, learning activities for children, and games; downloadable ringtones featuring music and other sounds, via a global computer network and wireless communication devices; audio and visual recordings featuring live-action entertainment, animated entertainment, music, and games for children; musical recordings…etc. 

    • Trademark #4:

      Classes 2, 5, 22, 23, 29, 37, 38, 50:  *(see link above for names of these classes)
      Covers the categories of: paper and paper articles; cardboard and cardboard articles; printed matter; publications; books; photographs; portraits; paintings; photo-engravings; stationery; office and school supplies; school supply kits; temporary tattoo transfers; foam stamps; party bags; plastic sandwich bags; shopping bags, plastic name badges.

  • I noticed that there was a lot of overlap between the stylized design and the non-stylized design. I presume that means Disney wants certain products to be able to have both types of marks on them.
  • The filing date of all 10 applications is June 23, 2020
    • Interestingly,  in June 18, 2020 it was revealed that the tentative title of the movie was “Encanto”. I find it interesting that they didn’t wait until after the application was filed with the USPTO before releasing that public information.
    • Fun fact: Lin Manuel Miranda confirmed in Good Morning America that he was working on an animated film set in Columbia on June 22, 2020 – just one day before the trademark applications were filed!
  • These trademark applications were filed by Steven Plotkin, Principal Counsel at Disney’s IP Department (in-house counsel)

 

“Stylized script” of Encanto mark:

 

Non-stylized design of Encanto mark: