Kim Kardashian filed trademark applications in March 2023 to protect her eldest daughter’s name for dolls, action figures, and educational toys. Nearly three years later, those applications remain pending at the USPTO, reportedly stalled over a fundamental problem: “North West” sounds like a compass direction. The case illustrates a challenge facing every parent who names a child something memorable but potentially descriptive, and every business that wants to trademark a term with geographic implications.
The Filing and What’s at Stake
Kardashian filed four trademark applications through her company Kimsaprincess Inc. on March 10, 2023, all seeking to protect North West’s name across different commercial categories. The filings represent the latest expansion of Kim Kardashian’s trademark portfolio, which already spans beauty, fashion, and entertainment. The toys application covers Class 28 goods: dolls, doll accessories, action figures, play-sets, puppets, puzzles, party games, educational toys, bath toys, toy jewelry, and handheld electronic games. The application published on January 16, 2024, signaling it had passed initial examination, but has since stalled with multiple extension requests on file.
Three of the four original applications have already been abandoned. The advertising and endorsement services application died in March 2024 when the USPTO received neither a statement of use nor an extension request within six months of issuing the Notice of Allowance. That application would have covered endorsement services, retail store services for gifts, apparel, toys, sporting goods, beauty products, and fragrances. The cosmetics application targeted non-medicated skincare preparations, moisturizers, lotions, facial oils, body oils, bath gels, and body powders. The entertainment application covered personal appearances by a celebrity. All three met the same fate: missed deadlines. Only the toys application survives.
The filing includes a parent consent statement: “Kim Kardashian West, hereby state that I am the parent of North West, a minor, and give my consent to the registration of North West’s name and/or nickname to Kimsaprincess Inc.” North West, born June 15, 2013, turned 12 in June 2025. She cannot legally consent to commercial use of her own name, making parental authorization essential for any trademark filing.
The Geographic Descriptiveness Problem
The USPTO can refuse registration for marks that are “primarily geographically descriptive” under Section 2(e)(2) of the Lanham Act. The examining attorney applies a three-part test: Is the primary significance of the mark a generally known geographic location? Would purchasers likely believe the goods originate from that place? Does the mark actually identify where the goods come from?
“North West” as a compass direction triggers immediate scrutiny. The term describes a geographic region. Consumers seeing “North West” on toy packaging might reasonably assume the products come from the Pacific Northwest or some other northwestern location. The fact that Kim and Kanye West chose the name precisely because it was memorable and unusual does not eliminate its geographic meaning.
Personal names can overcome descriptiveness through acquired distinctiveness, also called secondary meaning. When consumers associate a name primarily with a specific source rather than its dictionary definition, the mark qualifies for protection. Celebrity status accelerates this process. Someone seeing “North West” on a product today likely thinks of the Kardashian-West daughter, not a compass direction. But proving that association requires evidence: consumer surveys, advertising expenditure records, media coverage documentation.
When I analyze marks with potential descriptiveness issues, I evaluate how the term functions in the specific goods context. A geographic term used arbitrarily for unrelated products faces lower hurdles than one describing where goods originate. “North West” for toys has no logical geographic connection, which strengthens the argument that consumers will perceive it as a brand identifier. The challenge is convincing the examining attorney through responding to an office action with sufficient evidence.
Celebrity Child Name Trademarks in Context
The North West filing fits within a systematic trademark strategy spanning the entire Kardashian-Jenner family. She has filed trademark applications for all four children. Psalm West has 16 trademark records on file, applications submitted when he was just seven days old. Chicago West has nine trademarks filed in July 2022 covering skincare, toys, clothing, and entertainment services. Saint West has applications dating to February 2019.
Kylie Jenner’s trademark filings for daughter Stormi Webster show the family’s systematic approach. Jenner successfully registered “Stormi Webster” and later opposed a third-party “Stormi Couture” application that threatened to create marketplace confusion. The opposition proceeding demonstrates why early filing matters: without a registration, Jenner would have had weaker grounds to block the competing mark.
Beyonce and Jay-Z spent 12 years securing trademark rights to “Blue Ivy Carter.” Their application, filed through BGK Trademark Holdings LLC, faced opposition from a Wisconsin event planning business already using “Blue Ivy.” The dispute finally resolved in late 2024, with the mark publishing for opposition on December 31. The case shows that even celebrity parents cannot simply claim trademark rights to their children’s names when third parties have legitimate prior uses.
David and Victoria Beckham hold trademarks for their own names and all their children’s names across UK and European registries. The international scope of celebrity family trademark portfolios reflects the global nature of licensing deals, merchandise opportunities, and brand extension potential. A child who becomes famous in their own right, as North West has through social media and fashion appearances, generates commercial value that requires protection.
The timing pressure intensifies as children age. North West has already appeared at fashion shows, collaborated on art projects, and built a substantial social media following through her mother’s accounts. Each public appearance increases the commercial value of her name while also creating more evidence of acquired distinctiveness. The longer Kardashian waits to secure trademark protection, the more third parties have opportunity to file competing applications or establish common law rights through their own commercial use.
Protecting Names with Descriptive Elements
The “North West” situation offers lessons for anyone considering a trademark with geographic or descriptive components. Pre-filing analysis can identify these issues before you commit resources to an application. When I conduct trademark clearance searches, I flag potential descriptiveness concerns alongside conflicts with existing registrations. Knowing the obstacles in advance allows for strategic planning.
Intent-to-use applications establish priority dates while you build the commercial use necessary for registration. Kardashian’s March 2023 filing date locks in her position even as the examination drags on. Any competitor filing for “North West” on toys would face her prior-filed application as a barrier. The extensions she has requested maintain that priority while her team presumably gathers evidence to overcome the descriptiveness concern.
Evidence collection should begin before filing. Document how consumers perceive the mark as a source identifier. Track media coverage that connects the name to your goods or services. Preserve advertising materials and expenditure records. Consumer recognition surveys, though expensive, provide direct evidence that a mark has acquired distinctiveness. The stronger your evidence file, the more persuasive your response to any USPTO refusal.
Three of Kardashian’s four applications died because someone missed a deadline. The USPTO issued Notices of Allowance, signaling the applications had cleared examination, but no statement of use or extension request arrived within six months. Trademark prosecution requires calendar management. Missing a single deadline can destroy years of effort and significant filing fees. The USPTO allows up to five six-month extensions after a Notice of Allowance, giving applicants three years total to begin commercial use. But each extension requires a filing and fee, and missing any single deadline abandons the application permanently.
Protecting Your Brand Identity
The “North West” situation shows how even well-resourced filers face extended delays when marks contain descriptive elements. For businesses building brands around personal names, geographic terms, or other potentially descriptive words, the filing clock starts ticking the moment you begin commercial use. Waiting to address trademark protection until a brand has significant value means navigating these challenges under pressure, with competitors potentially filing first.
My practice focuses on identifying potential trademark obstacles before they become expensive problems. I conduct clearance searches that flag descriptiveness concerns, prepare applications with evidence strategies for overcoming refusals, and guide clients through the examination process when USPTO questions arise. Whether you’re launching a personal brand, naming a product line, or protecting a family business identity, early analysis prevents the kind of extended delays that even celebrity filers experience.
If you’re considering trademark protection for a name or brand with potential descriptive elements, contact me for a consultation. A clearance search and strategic filing approach can establish your priority date while positioning your application for the strongest possible outcome.
