What Kate Wore

There is always a lot of coverage given to the clothes and accessories wore by the Royals, with dresses selling out immediately and an increase in Google searches ("what Kate wore"). Brands like Reiss and LK Bennett have reported upswings in sales as people rush to emulate a look or an accessory. When I watched the Wimbledon Final, the commentary was given to a brooch the Princess of Wales was wearing, a bow in the iconic purple and green Wimbledon colours. Being a trade mark geek, I was curious to see whether or not it was a protected trade mark. As far as I can see from a searching platform (usual caveats around identical searching!) it isn't. There are some registrations for the colours, and one that almost looks like a straight ribbon, but no bow brooch. Interestingly, a number of registrations in the jewellery space (class 14) but none for the bow brooch. And the colours are not registered in 14.  So many famous marks now tip over into a much wider branding space, through merchandising, brand extensions, exclusive collaborations, I was surprised not to find it. It's one of the parts of trade mark portfolio management I find the most interesting, especially when there is no protection outside of core classes and a brand wants to explore new possibilities.