Say his name.
There is no doubt that the name George Floyd will live on well after protests have gone—and some random person is trying to make a profit from that.
What is interesting about this filing is that Mushonga has no relation to Floyd and it doesn’t seem like he has any Hollywood connections either. In order for the trademark to be approved, Mushonga would need written consent from Floyd himself. Even a representative wouldn’t be enough. Legal grounds that would bar Mushonga from succeeding in a claim include the Trademark Act U.S.C section 1052(a) which prohibits something from being trademarked if it has a “false suggestion of connection”. In this case, Mushonga would clearly fail to overcome this hurdle given the fact that he is not related or connected to Floyd in any way.
Fortunately, if Floyd’s family is not on board, then this trademark filing will most certainly be denied.
UPDATE: As of 6/12/2020, the filer of the “George Floyd” trademark application has filed a voluntary notice of abandonment.
Do you think Mushonga abandoned the application due to the backlash he was receiving online, or because he realized it’s pretty unethical to profit off of a dead man’s name who has no relation to him? What are your thoughts? Comment down below.