Court Cancels 'RIANNA' Trademark: Rihanna Wins Unauthorized Registration Case in Turkey

Turkish court voids the mark: The company of world-renowned singer Rihanna won a case filed against unauthorized use of her name in Turkey. The trademark registration bearing the term 'RIANNA' was completely canceled by court order.

Rihanna's lawyers argued that the artist's global recognition and the single-letter difference would create confusion among consumers. The defendant countered that the word has Arabic origins and means 'pleasant fragrance,' requesting dismissal. The court concluded that an average consumer could confuse the two names and deemed the trademark invalid.

In Turkey's Trademark Registration Registry, attempts to register terms similar to foreign celebrities' names have been increasingly common particularly since the 2010s. This ruling is regarded as one of the first clear precedents in the case law of Intellectual and Industrial Rights Civil Courts establishing that a single-letter difference falls outside the scope of protection.