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Lewis Hamilton Loses IP Battle Against Watchmaker Over “Hamilton” Trademark

Love him or hate him, Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a legend in the world of Formula 1 and a Very Important Person in socialite circles. With seven drivers’ titles under his belt and a base salary of £40 million a year, there’s no denying #LH44 is at the peak of his career. Despite all that, controversy is always within striking distance of the 35-year-old Brit.
Hamilton Ventura watch 16 photos
Photo: Hamilton Watch Company
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An Ali G joke that backfired spectacularly, spraying a grid girl at the Chinese Grand Prix, Snapchatting a video of himself while riding a Harley-Davidson on the motorway, and the BLM shenanigans of 2020 are only a few examples of contention. Today, however, we’ll talk about Lewis Hamilton appealing to the European Union Intellectual Property Office over the use of the "Hamilton" trademark in Europe by a very old watchmaker.

Founded in 1892 in Pennsylvania and currently based in Switzerland, the Hamilton Watch Company supplied the military with timepieces as early as WWI. The one and only Elvis Presley wore a Ventura on his left wrist in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii, and he’s not the only celebrity that brought the watchmaker into the worldwide mainstream.

Be that as it may, intellectual property company 44IP took the Hamilton Watch Company to court over the racing driver’s surname in 2017. After three years of unnecessary legal battles, a European court ruled against the Briton's IP company with a very straightforward explanation. “There is no ‘natural right’ for a person to have his name registered as a trademark when that would infringe third parties’ rights.”

What’s next for the racing driver? Is 44IP going to sue the people behind Hamilton: An American Musical? Don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to imagine what Lewis was thinking when he decided to take legal action against the Hamilton Watch Company.

According to Racefans, the Fourth Board of Appeal mentions that Hamilton “is a fairly common surname in English-speaking countries.” Considering that Hamilton may go as far back as William the Conqueror’s reign, the racing driver’s IP company should hire better IP experts.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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