DC Entertainment Is Currently Trying to Protect Their Robin IP from Singer Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty

DC vs. Rihanna in the comic book event of the century!!! Ok, it’s actually just a little legal battle but think of the cover possibilities!

Billboard (via PiratedThoughts) reports:

DC Comics is seeking to block a request by Rihanna’s company to trademark the word Robyn, arguing it is too similar to the name of Batman’s trusty sidekick.

Roraj Trade, which holds trademarks for Rihanna’s numerous brands including her Rebelle By Rihanna and Reb’L Fleur perfumes, applied to register “Robyn” on June 23, 2014 with intent to “providing on-line non-downloadable general feature magazines.” DC’s Notice of Opposition was submitted on May 11 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by James D. Weinberger of Fross, Zelnick, Lehrman and Zissu.

Yes, they are trying to block her from trademarking HER OWN NAME WHICH ISN’T EVEN SPELLED THE SAME AS THEIR ROBIN CHARACTER. Also, “robin” was a word that existed pre-DC Comics. Just FYI.

I think the birds have a case.

While Billboard says DC Entertainment had no comment for their story they also sum up the situation a bit more:

DC argues that the proposed online magazine is “identical and/or highly related” to DC’s existing product and believes that since both could potentially be sold to the same types of customers, people “are likely to be deceived into falsely believing” that they are somehow connected. A digital magazine called Robyn that isn’t about the Boy Wonder “is likely to cause confusion, cause mistake, or to deceive the public” into think it’s from DC, the complaint argues.

Look, I like a lot of Rihanna’s music but is there a lot of crossover between her fans and fans of Dick Grayson? And if there is, are people honestly going to confuse the two? Highly doubtful.

Here, take this crossover.

(image via Electrolysis / Shutterstock.com)

—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—

Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Jill Pantozzi

Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."

twitter facebook