According to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), Smit has “A face in the crowd” – in other words, a face like many others – and the brand must be distinctive.
“Very special,” says Smits director Alois Buijs about this statement. It is stated that the singer is a brand in itself and that it is part of his face protection. But Smit wanted a European registration, and Smit is not very well known in the EU, the European Intellectual Property Association says.
The application was submitted by the Smit team in 2015. This happened on the advice of Jabe Buijs, Alois’s father, who was Smit’s manager at the time. A year later, the request was rejected. “We then filed an objection. We responded to that last week,” Baez says.
The director says that an objection to the new decision is also being filed. “We won’t leave it at that. Then anyone and everyone can run away with your face.”
This doesn’t mean that everyone can put a smit head on products and sell them. The singer has the rights to the image, like everyone else. This can prevent photos that appear in them from being published.
“Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Freelance organizer. Avid analyst. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon junkie.”