October 22, 2012 2:50 PM ET
Jay-Z and Beyonce leave a hotel in Paris with their daughter, Blue Ivy.
Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic
Jay-Z and Beyoncé can't trademark the name of their daughter, Blue Ivy, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has ruled, which means the Boston wedding planner Blue Ivy can continue to use the name.
The superstar couple filed a petition to trademark the name "Blue Ivy" shortly after their daughter was born in January, seeking to reserve it for use as a possible brand name for a line of baby-related products, including carriages, diaper bags and baby cosmetics.
Veronica Alexandra, who started Blue Ivy in 2009, filed her own petition to trademark the name, and the Patent Office ruling means she can use "Blue Ivy" for event and wedding planning and related marketing and advertising. Jay-Z and Beyoncé can use the name for other potential business endeavors.
"I knew this was going to be a bittersweet roller coaster," Alexandra, 32, tells Rolling Stone. "If this wasn't going to work, I'd go after both of them. Like, 'Let’s do it!' In my mind I had some protective rights. There's no way by way of being a celebrity they should have entitlement [to the name]. Shame on them."
Alexandra was initially surprised to learn the famous couple had given their child the same name as her company. "I was really blatantly shocked," she says. “I didn't think it was true because nobody names their daughter Blue Ivy."
Still, Alexandra, who named the company to convey romantic traditionalism, says the trademark dispute has been a blessing in disguise. "For me it was a very large compliment," she says. "All in all I was extremely happy that my design capacity is pretty badass."
The entrepreneur’s main takeaway? "Money doesn't buy everything."
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