Designer Seeks To Trademark Blue Ivy's Name

JANUARY 17--In a blatant attempt to capitalize on the birth of Jay-Z’s and Beyonce’s daughter, a New York City designer has filed an application to trademark the baby’s name so that he can place it on an assortment of children’s clothing.

On January 11--four days after Blue Ivy Carter’s birth--Joseph Mbeh filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking a mark for “Blue Ivy Carter NYC,” according to USPTO records. The application by Mbeh, 35, covers “infant, toddler and junior clothing” including dresses, skirts, sleepwear, and undergarments.

Mbeh’s trademark application was filed without consent or knowledge of the infant’s famous parents. The application, which cost Mbeh $325, was filed by Patricia Elie, a Queens lawyer.

In his USPTO filing, Mbeh contends that he has been using the “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” name since “at least as early as 01/09/2012,” two days after the child’s birth at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.

To apparently bolster this claim, Mbeh’s application includes a “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” logo and a mocked-up photo of girls clothing with hang tags bearing the child’s name.

Mbeh, a Cameroon native and former Phat Farm intern, is co-owner of Fourfront, which he describes as a “street-contemporary couture brand” operating from Manhattan’s Garment District. The firm’s clothing, Mbeh reports, has been worn by celebrities like the rapper T-Pain and Ray J, who once appeared in an X-rated home video with Kim Kardashian.

In an interview last month with the Harlem’s Fashion Row blog, Mbeh discussed Fourfront’s signature garment, the “Gileko,” a hybrid t-shirt/vest. “It’s something special and fresh. I mastered it last year,” said Mbeh. “Every factory said no, it was too complicated, but we made it work.”

A message left by TSG on Mbeh’s cell phone was not returned. (4 pages)