We’re all for a good parody shirt here and there but folks, if you’re jacking the trademark of an established company, always keep it to short runs amongst your friends. Definitely do not try to make it your “thing”.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian tennis wunderkind, carries the nickname ‘Special K.’
Get it? He’s special. His surname starts with K. And that’s a phrase already established in popular culture because of the cereal. Fairly easy to understand, right?
Only problem here is that Kokkinakis is apparently so taken with his moniker that he’s now trying to monetise it.
Kokkinakis is reportedly extremely keen to use ‘Special K’ commercially as branding for a line of signature clothing and tennis wear.
As you can probably imagine, Kellogg are not pleased. The cereal giant – who absolutely owns the trademark on the phrase ‘Special K’ in Australia – is filing suit in the Federal Court in an attempt to block the 21-year-old from, y’know, making bulk dollars off a product name they legally own.
Federal Court in Adelaide will hold a directions hearing today to determine whether the case will proceed to further court hearings.
This begs the question: Is Kokkinakis simply not aware of the existence of the already-established product? Does he believe that the nickname was bestowed upon him organically? Did he (*gasp*) give it to himself?
At this point he should probably just go all in and pitch a line of signature bran-based cereal.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty.
