Karol G is lately no stranger to controversy. Following the uproar over her recent release, +57, in which she and her collaborators were accused of promoting the sexualization of minors, the artist now faces a legal battle.
The dispute has actually been ongoing for months. The issue? The name of one of the three venues the Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido singer recently opened in her hometown of Medellín. The venue, called El Callejón del Gato (The Cat’s Alley), aimed to be a trendy hotspot but shares its name with a well-known bar in the city.
The information has been reported by the Colombian press, including our colleagues at LOS40 Colombia. Roberto Cardona discussed the case on his program Impresentables in recent hours.
According to Mauricio Quevedo, the owner of the original El Callejón del Gato, he and several partners opened the bar in 1995. After its closure, they continued to use the name for a music group (still active) and various shows. For this reason, they opposed Karol G’s trademark registration application with Colombia’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), claiming exclusive rights to the name.
“We found out in October 2023 that Karol G was registering the name for her nightclub. We filed an opposition with the SIC because we’ve been using that name for decades. It’s our identity, and we want to protect it,” Quevedo told the Colombian outlet El Colombiano.
Quevedo and his lawyer also expressed frustration over how long the case has dragged on—almost a year—despite it being the kind of dispute that should be resolved within three or four months.
Interestingly, while El Callejón del Gato had been used by Quevedo for years, Karol G was the first to file for formal trademark registration in April 2023. Quevedo and his team didn’t submit their application until July of the same year.
The legal dilemma now revolves around whether priority should be given to the earlier trademark application or to longstanding use of the name, as both are crucial factors in determining intellectual property rights. Legal expert Ángela Amaya explained these nuances to the publication Asuntos Legales.
Quevedo and his team will need to provide substantial evidence of their sustained use of the name. However, if the authorities find their documentation insufficient, Karol G would gain exclusive rights. Conversely, if Quevedo’s claim is validated, Karol G would have to rename her venue or negotiate a licensing agreement with the original owners.
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