Meryl Streep applies to trademark her own name
She apparently wants to make sure that no-one else in the entertainment industry uses the moniker
There could only ever be one Meryl Streep, but now the Oscar-winning actress is making sure there only ever will be one Meryl Streep.
The Post and Mamma Mia! actress has reportedly applied to trademark her name to prevent others from using it.
The BBC reports that the 68-year-old filed the application with the US Trademark Office in order to give her the exclusive rights to the use of her name in the entertainment industry.
Apparently the application only refers to "live, televised, and movie appearances", "speaking engagements" and "autograph signings".
Which means that she hasn't blocked the possibility of people making Meryl Streep perfume, clothes or toys; surely a market that's just waiting to be tapped into.
The BBC quotes George Sevier, intellectual property lawyer with Gowling WLG, as saying that it is more usual for celebrities to trademark their name earlier in their career.
"I don't know if it's late in Meryl Streep's career. Maybe she's got a long career ahead of her. But she's older than most people trademarking their names," he told the BBC.
"It seems unlikely that someone is going to offer after-dinner speaking in the name of Meryl Streep unless it is Meryl Streep. It's probably mostly to stop people using her name on the internet."
If Meryl manages to get her name trademarked, she wouldn't be the first famous person to do so. David and Victoria Beckham have trademarked not only their names but also the names of their four children, while Sean Connery also applied to trademark his name last year.
Paris Hilton, Jay Z and Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are also amongst the famous faces to have applied to trademark names or phrases.
