George Floyd’s name could be worth a lot of money in the entertainment business … and now one man is looking to lock up the rights to his name for movies and TV shows.
An application to trademark the name George Floyd has been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, records show.
Munemo Mushonga, who lists a North Miami address, applied for the trademark on June 5 with the intent of using the name for TV shows and movies. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mushonga filed a trademark application to use the name George Floyd in the “production and distribution of television shows and movies.”
George Floyd, 46, died while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, and his death sparked protests across the nation. He died after now-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, as three other officers didn’t intervene.
Mushonga did not immediately respond to an email from McClatchy News on Thursday with questions about intent for using the name.
A spokesperson for Ben Crump, the Floyd family attorney, hasn’t responded to an email inquiring whether the application has any association with the family.
Trademarking a person’s name can be difficult, experts say. The guy could be facing an uphill battle in his quest to lock up the rights to George Floyd’s name … the United States Patent and Trademark Office generally doesn’t allow trademarks for people’s names unless certain conditions are met, such as getting the consent of the person, the name being very unique, or the name being part of a unique and widely recognized brand.
