May 6, 2021
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Imagine showing up to court and seeing the judge, your lawyer, opposing counsel, and beside them, Wonder Woman and her Lasso of Truth. Despite being humorous, this fictional scenario could very well become a reality for childhood friends: Peter D’Amico, Bill Rementer and William Smallwood.
As reported by The Press of Atlantic City, after the three friends attempted to register a 10-year common law trademark for the company name “PWR Supplements” with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office in November 2019, they quickly learned that the actress Gal Gadot, most commonly known for her role as Wonder Woman, and her husband Yaron Varsano, had already applied for a trademark for their company name, “GAL PWR”, months before.
PWR Supplements offers three distinct products with three proposed registered trademark names: Pro-Tropics, for brain and gut supplements, PWR Rush, for pre-workout supplements, and PWR Down, for sleeping aid supplements. The company launched their first energy drink, Lemon Limeade, to fill the gap in the market for a tasty alternative to traditional pre-workout beverages. The drink includes caffeine and L-Theanine.
In August 2020, the friends received a “non-final” notice from the U.S Patent and Trademark Office informing them that their application for trademark was placed on hold as a result of two other similar applications, one of them being Gadot’s, and the other belonging to a third party who filed their trademark after the three friends, but that is still only a concept at this point. Despite the ongoing dispute surrounding the PWR Supplement trademark, the PWR Pro-Tropic trademark was successfully registered. In addition to long hours and labour, the founders of PWR Supplement have already spent between $50,000 and $100,000.
After spending such a significant amount of time and capital, it seems unlikely that the individuals will simply walk away from their hard-earned investment. As of now, Gadot’s lawyer has not provided any public comments on the dispute. Regardless of the outcome, perhaps in the eyes of some, three friends have joined the ranks of DC Comics' greatest villains.
Authors: Awale Deria and Scott Kerr
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