Cartier’s “LOVE” bracelets, designed in the 1960’s, have acheived some reknown due to the locking mechanism that can only be opened with a screwdriver. While Cartier has had success in certain countries protecting the overall look of the bracelet itself, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore has determined that Cartier can not excercise trademark rights over the word “LOVE.”
Last year, Cartier opposed a trademark application to register the slogan “LOVE GOLD” as a trademark in Singapore. While Cartier owns registrations for its stylized variation of “LOVE,” which includes a horizontal line through the “O” to mimic the appearance of the screws adorning its bracelet, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore has apparently determined that these rights do not extend to the word itself. The opinion states, “‘[l]ove’ is a word which is commonly used by jewelry traders and should not be monopolized by any trader….The word ‘love,’ however, should be free for traders to incorporate into their trademarks for jewelry.”