Victoria Beckham Takes On Aussie Skincare Brand Over Trademark “VB” Letters
Former Spice Girl and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, has taken a Sydney-based skincare brand to court over to trademarks featuring the letters “VB”.
Beckham is arguing consumers will be confused and assume she has endorsed the products.
VB Skinlab is seeking to trademark “VB Salon” and “VB Skinlab” in Australia, which is the same letters Beckham uses to market a luxury line of cosmetics developed in collaboration with Estée Lauder.
Beckham unsuccessfully opposed the registration of the trademarks back in March this year.
The government agency that gives out intellectual property rights – IP Australia – said it was “not satisfied that any confusion” would come between the skincare brand’s logo and Beckham’s VB trademark.
Beckham almost attempted to oppose the registration of the trademarks by citing that the Sydney beauty company was attempting to take advantage of her name, which IP Australia also rejected.
The fashion designer also argued the company’s use of a female model with long dark hair was a reference to her, which was also refuted.
“The mere fact that a cosmetics company has used an attractive female model with long dark hair in connection with their products is hardly a basis to assert bad faith,” said IP Australia.
Beckham was also ordered to pay the skincare brand’s legal costs and has since lodged an appeal in the Federal Circuit Court.
She has asked the court to set aside IP Australia’s ruling, reject the skincare company’s trademark registration and order the company to pay her costs of the appeal and original hearing.
Meanwhile, 60 workers at Beckham’s fashion brand will be made redundant in an attempt to turn around the fortunes of Victoria Beckham Ltd, which lost £8.5million last year ($AU16.7m).
The dispute will go to court on April 22.
Latest News
We Need To Talk About B2B Events
This columnist asks is it the end for B2B events? And if so, where will B&T journalists take afternoon naps now?
Women In Media’s Nat Harvey: “Humans Need Other Humans To Thrive And Co-Create Happiness”
Seven's sales director Nat Harvey muses on the year that was AND doesn't use the words "bognogs" or "willy dribbler".
Women In Media’s Juliette Stead: “Playing It Safe Isn’t An Option For Me”
Juliette Stead declares, "Playing it safe isn’t an option for me." Top news if Juliette's your tennis doubles partner.
LiveRamp And The Trade Desk Combine For Cookieless Solution
LiveRamp and The Trade Desk prepare for a cookieless world. And in further bad news, Delta Goodrem is touring.
Nine & The Lab Reveal One In Three Of Nine’s Talk-Radio Listeners Attribute It To Increasing Their Happiness
Study finds radio can increase your happiness. That's probably not the case if your horse gets beat on 2KY, however.
Bastion Collective Launches Bastion Asia
Bastion Collective has launched Bastion Asia which, when said quickly, kinda sounds like "busting, are ya?"
Something Originals Unveils Trailer For New Feature Documentary About Scotch Whisky Icon Johnnie Walker
When B&T's editor chooses to forget "that bitch that ruined my life" he uses & recommends the Johnnie Walker range.
“Very Nice!” Kazakhstan Adopts Borat Phrase For Tourism Campaign
Whether you like it or not, Borat has put Kazakhstan on the map. Much like what Lara Bingle did for Australia, really.
WPP’s Acquisition Shopping List Revealed
This article contains a hint of speculation, a spot of fabrication, but hopefully not a dollop of defamation.
Kmart Forced To Introduce Online Bookings As Melbourne Shoppers Flock To Stores
It wasn't loved ones or close friends Melburnians missed most during lockdown, but cheap plastic tat & bean bag inserts.
Vegemite Launches New ‘Vegemite Squeezy’ Via Thinkerbell
Nothing in marketing says "we've slightly run out of ideas" quite like making a squeezable version, does it.
Tuesday TV Wrap: The Block Is Back On Top As SAS Takes A Hit
Typically, B&T staff don't put a heap of effort into the photos that accompany the articles. A fact exaserbated here.
The Recipe For Return On Investment (ROI)
The recipe for ROI is revealed here! And thankfully it doesn't include caciocavallo podolico or white alba truffles.
YoPRO Reminds The Athletes Amongst Us That ‘Every Millimetre Matters’ In New Campaign Via Emotive
Yoghurt ad's aimed at "pro-am athletes & fitness enthusiasts" or people who have to bore you with everything they eat.
62-Year-Old Model Is The Face Of Biologi’s Pro-Ageing Campaign Celebrating Natural Beauty
New anti-ageing campaign features 62-year-old model who reportedly worked at the Ponds Institute in 1976.
Viztrade Launches Facebook Style Self-Serve Solution
Independent programmatic platform Viztrade has launched a self-serve solution for publishers to generate digital advertising revenue directly from their own websites. Viztrade Connect is to be launched through the Viztrade platform and enables advertisers to purchase advertising from publisher websites with no friction and full visibility into the cost of the media. The solution is […]
Google Launches YouTube Select In Australia
On the upside, reading B&T's tech news isn't as nerdy as reading it on tech sites. On the downside, it's not as good.
Melbourne Indie Agency Hardhat Hires Eight New Senior Team Members
Hardhat announces eight new hires and, as luck would have it, all have different milk preferences from soy to full-fat.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation Appoints Leo Burnett Australia As Creative Agency
The Barrier Reef is the nation's jewel. Alongside the Christmas Island detention centre and Shane Warne's hairpiece.
Target Shows Us There’s A Better Way To Christmas In New Campaign Via AJF
Fire the gun, it's the first of the Christmas ads! With B&T most looking forward to the Ultra Tune and Metamucil work.
BIG Outdoor Launches Programmatic With Vistar Media
BIG Outdoor has announced the launch of programmatic capabilities powered by Vistar Media. BIG Outdoor is leveraging Vistar’s supply-side platform (SSP) to make their inventory available for purchase programmatically via open exchange or private marketplace deals. “Our mission is to stay at the forefront of improving the value proposition of digital billboard advertising,” said Richard […]
Why Purpose is Needed Now More Than Ever
Has a bad back all but ruled you out of catching falling colleagues for motivation? Try this hernia-free read instead.
Five Aces To Overcoming The Pandemic For CMOs
This is the only thing any CMO should be reading today. Well, this and maybe Riston's latest rants or Marketing Week.
NSW Government Launches Maths Trains Brains Campaign Via Bastion Banjo
The NSW Government and the Department of Education have today launched a major campaign titled ‘Maths Trains Brains’ which is aimed at changing the perception of maths and encouraging more engagement towards the subject for students from pre-kindy to Year 10. The campaign was developed by creative and digital agency Bastion Banjo with production by […]
Grill’d Sticks It To Fast Food Giants In New “Trump’d” Campaign
The B&T office are huge fans of Grill'd & we're not just saying that because it sells booze. Even if that is the reason.
Debunking The Myths: The Environmental Cred Of Print Media
In this guest post, Dr Phillip Lawrence of Edith Cowan University debunks the myths of the environmental impact of printing… The environmental credentials of printing have been in the spotlight for a while with brands and marketers as well as large corporates regularly proposing they would reduce or eliminate paper and printing from their business as […]
“Tiny Tech, Mighty Spec” Says Panasonic’s Newest Campaign Via Awaken
We're being fans of photography here at B&T, showing a particular fondness for the "artful nude" category.
Mindshare Snares Kayo’s & Binge’s Media
The WPP-owned agency Mindshare has revealed it has won the media business for both Kayo and Binge. Both Kayo and Binge form part of Foxtel’s Steamotion’s streaming services and have seen significant boosts to the subscription numbers in recent times, primarily during lockdown. Commenting on the win, Mindshare CEO Katie Rigg-Smith said the win would […]
Aussie Tech Firm Launches App To Help Media Owners Find Local Advertisers In Any Location
Realworld, an Australian location-based technology company, today launched adfindr.co, a leads platform for media owners. Adfindr finds the contact details of hundreds of local businesses around any location. Adfindr offers all media owners a database of local advertising leads. Simply type in a location and extract advertising leads in that area. David Sanderson, Director at […]
Study: Aussies Eye Bricks & Mortar Return This Christmas
Quote Shakespeare when looking for a car spot at Christmas? Ready your "convert to anger; blunt not the hearts" here.
