A London-based company, A.B.C. IP Holdings South West, has successfully registered the trademark for 'Bitcoin' with the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and has already issued a cease-and-desist letter to an Etsy merchant selling Bitcoin-themed T-shirts, according to a May 2018 report. The news has stirred controversy in the cryptocurrency community.
Details of the Event
The trademark application was filed on December 22, 2017 and officially registered on April 13, 2018, with the number UK00003279106. The registration covers a wide range of goods including adult clothing, infant clothing, shoes, headwear, and socks. Any unauthorized use of 'Bitcoin' on such products now constitutes infringement under UK law.
An Etsy merchant selling Bitcoin-themed shirts received a legal letter stating: 'Our client has noticed you are offering clothing bearing the Bitcoin trademark on Etsy.co.uk without authorization, which amounts to trademark infringement under Section 10(1) of the Trade Marks Act 1994.' The merchant expressed shock, as such aggressive enforcement was unprecedented.
Historical Context
This is the first successful trademark for the word 'Bitcoin'. Prior attempts failed: in March 2015, the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected Urban Trend's application; that same month, Russia's Rospatent denied M-Group's request. In 2015, the Bitcoin Foundation had urged individuals and businesses not to trademark 'Bitcoin', arguing it should remain a generic term like 'dollar' or 'euro'.
The Foundation stated: 'The term Bitcoin should not be the intellectual property of any single entity. We are committed to protecting it for public use.'
Community Reaction
Crypto enthusiasts have condemned the move as trademark squatting, fearing it could stifle innovation and community projects. Little public information is available about IP-Holdings, except that it also owns a patent called 'Westworld'. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between decentralized naming systems and traditional intellectual property regimes.