As Madonna enters her fifth decade, she has never had more fans.  Guinness Book of World Records lists her as the world’s most successful female recording artist of all time, and the top-earning female singer in the world.  She has an estimated net worth of over US$400 million, and has sold over 200 million records worldwide.  She is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth-century.  On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1992, Madonna founded her own entertainment company Maverick consisting of a record company, a film production company, and also music publishing, television, merchandising and book-publishing divisions. It was a joint venture with Time Warner as part of a $60 million recording and business deal. The deal gave her a twenty percent royalty.  Madonna also became the worldwide model for the company H&M in 2006.  As part of the deal, Madonna designed a track suit.  The next year, H&M carried the clothing line M by Madonna which was launched internationally and sold out almost immediately.

With her multiple albums, movie career, and clothing line at H&M, Madonna has become a household name.  She has continually reinvented herself, shocked audiences, and been adored by millions.  But has she protected her trademark?

A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Website Database yields two “hits”:

•    MADONNA U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,463,601 for use on clothing, namely, t-shirts, vests, sweatshirts, tops, pants and dresses in Class 25.  The mark was registered on November 3, 1987 and claims a first use date of April 10, 1985.
•    MADONNA U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,473,554 for use with entertainment services, namely, live and recorded musical, dance and dramatic performances.  The mark was registered on January 19, 1988 and claims a first use date of March 1979.

Each application is filed in the name of Madonna Ciccone dba Madonna.

While Madonna may not have as many trademark applications on file as other celebrities, she clearly knew the value of protecting her trademarks well before the celebrity branding trend.   Her fans look forward to her Sticky & Sweet tour as well as additional branding efforts.


Aimee Kaplan, the trademark lawyer dedicated to musicians and actresses protecting their celebrity brands

Copyright 2008 Aimee Kaplan