Bold move! Tiktok star Azziad trademarks her name

07 February 2022

Tiktok star Azziad Nasenya has trademarked her name and a logo using the first letter of her name.

The process took place last year in November, where Azziad applied for registration with the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KiPi), a government parastatal that administers Intellectual Property rights.

The process went swimmingly well as no one opposed it during the 60 days it was advertised on the organisation's journal.

It read: "NOTICE is given that any person who has grounds of opposition to the Registration of any of the trademarks advertised herein according to these classes may within sixty (60) days from the date of this Journal, lodge a notice of opposition on form TM. No. 6 (in duplicate) together with a fee of Ksh.5,000/= (local opponent) or US$ 250 (foreign opponent)."

Since the registration went unopposed, Azziad has now registered her name and logo which is valid for 10 years after which she can opt to renew the trademark.

A trademark is a word, name, graphic, phrase, colour, sound or even a smell that identifies a single source of goods or services.

Although the name is associated with a person, that does not make it a trademark, even if that person is famous. The law requires that the person claiming a trademark over her name prove what is called secondary meaning.

In this case, Azziad explained in her application that the name and logo will be used in "Clothing, footwear and headgear."

Adding, "Registration of this mark shall give no right to the exclusive use of the letter "A" separately and apart from the mark as a whole."

Azziad joins other Kenyan stars like Huddah Monroe and Shix Kapienga who have trademarked their names. Others include Kim Kardashian West, Kylie Jenner and Beyoncé.