Sunday, May 13, 2007

Trademarking a baby's name

Jon Voight may have his problems but clearly his estranged daughter Angelina Jolie has a much bigger one -- two in fact; her attitude and her conceitedness. I already had contempt for her because of how she and Brad Pitt conspired to humiliate Jennifer Anniston and still believe Jolie's humanitarian work does not excuse her past trangressions. The fact she appears to remain unrepentant is more proof of that. But this ...

It was reported the other day a perfume company wants to name its latest brand "Shiloh" but Jolie has filed an objection with the US Trademark and Patent Office claiming it would cause irreparable damage to her daughter. Okay ... if that's such a big issue, then an evangelical church which also uses the name Shiloh would have objected to her picking the name.

Shiloh is a rather unusual name but it certainly isn't unprecedented and is no more trademarkable than Hermione -- dozens of women, some of them who became actresses, were given that name before it was used by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series. The US Supreme Court which tends to take on more patent cases than human rights ones and which has given protection to specific shades of colours and uniform designs for restaurants would really have to laugh if this one ever came their way.

This isn't like Moon Unit Zappa ... or Soleil Moon Frye. It's important to protect a child, of course, but don't lawyers have better things to do? Makes me glad my dream of becoming one never came true.

UPDATE (8:31 PM EDT, Monday 0031 GMT): For those of you who asked, I'm not saying Jolie is necessarily a bad person. Just that she shows bad judgment.

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