Ironic? Trademark Bullying by Entrepreneur Magazine

Ok so this is something that gets me fired up.  DID YOU KNOW that Entrepreneur Magazine Inc. (yes, that ONE) has trademarked the word "Entrepreneur" and is suing or bringing trademark claims against businesses that use it or try to trademark it?  

And not only those with the word entrepreneur like...

❌ The Unstoppable Entrepreneur

❌ Rugged Entrepreneur

❌ The Happy Entrepreneur

❌ Blue Collar Entrepreneur

❌ The Wine Entrepreneur (my fav)

But also ANY with even the 'preneur

❌ Oddtrepreneur

❌ Brandpreneur

❌ Contrapreneur

❌ Kidtrepreneur

There are literally hundreds of small business owners and start-ups that have been stopped by Entrepreneur Mag (and their VERY BIG law firm).  They are claiming trademark infringement and that ALL of these will be confused with their magazine - BOGUS.  Now, A LOT of these people have just abandoned their trademarks because they didn't want to go to court and spend thousands (and thousands) trying to fight it, it's hard to say if some of these would have won in the end.

The irony of a magazine geared towards inspiring and helping small business owners grow taking these gigantic steps to keep them down at the same time is infuriating to me.  

Now, over the past 10 years many have written (check out Seth Godin and others) about this and many question why/how the USPTO could even let someone trademark the word Entrepreneur and I think USPTO probably sees their mistake now.  But alas, here we are.

So the moral of this story - do not use the word Entrepreneur or 'Preneur in your business name or programs (sorry to be the bearer of bad news) or if you do use it, do not even think about trademarking it!  (Note - if you have a Facebook Group with the word 'preneur or Entrepreneur you are fine, don't panic because you can't trademark a Facebook Group anyway)

Another moral of this story as Business Insider Aimee Groth writes:

"Of course there's another way to look at this story. Entrepreneur promotes smart entrepreneurship, and there's nothing smarter than getting a trademark."

Sarah Kornblet Waldbuesser, Esq.
Attorney for Coaches & Online Business Owners

After several years at a law firm and a few career jumps, she ended up falling in love with online business and loves helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams in a smart and protected way. She is also an adventurer, traveler, and food and wine lover. When not at her computer, she loves hanging with her family, having wine with friends, flying around the globe and connecting with other online business owners.