Yeezy and Gap Face Challenges with Trademark Application

As reported by The Fashion Law, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has issued a preliminary refusal for the Gap and Yeezy LLC’s trademark application related to the Yeezy Gap Collection. 

The mash-up between Gap and Yeezy LLC’s “YZY” mark was released in in April 2021, ahead of the release of the Yeezy Gap collection. Yeezy and Gap each filed trademark applications for the “YZY” mark, which consists of “the letters YZY in white inside of a blue square with rounded edges”. 

In its preliminary refusal, the USPTO highlighted a previously issued registration for YZY on similar goods/services. Interestingly, the previously issued registration of YZY on similar goods/services was issued to Kanye West’s holding company, Mascotte Holdings.

The second ground for refusal surrounded a pending trademark application for registration of an unaffiliated YZY mark of Y.Z.Y., Inc., a company who filed a trademark application for registration for use on “fragrance and hair care preparations”.