Who says trademark protection has to be boring?

Velcro Cos. has long battled misuse of the VELCRO® trademark when it is used in references to other hook-and-loop fasteners. Trademark law isn’t normally the stuff that viral videos are made of, but in 2017, the company’s in-house legal team worked with the marketing team to release a music video aimed at improper use of the VELCRO® trademark.

In ” hired actors sing, “You think it’s awesome for us that we’re famous, but we’re lawyers and it’s causing us grief. There are trademark laws being broken; it’s all here in this short legal brief.” (Cue the woman rolling in a cart with a stack of legal documents that topples over.)

Celebrate the Haters

As with much of what lands on social media, the video was met with positive comments and some not-so-friendly reaction. Velcro Cos. wasn’t fazed by the haters. Earlier this year, it released a second musical video in which some of the harshest comments are featured in song.

In “Thank You for the Feedback,” we learn that one person’s response to the initial video was, “You immoral grasping parasites, you should be ashamed!” Another stated, “This is why people HATE lawyers. Die Yuppie scum DIE!!!”

The company’s legal team takes the vitriolic comments in stride. Alexandra DeNeve, Velcro’s senior counsel, trademarks, told the online publication Corporate Counsel, “The point of the video is, you may not have liked the message, but you heard it and you responded to it and that’s what’s important to us.”

DeNeve reports the company has seen trademark misuse decrease and consumers are correcting other consumers in online dialogues. The company effectively turned its trademark struggles into a marketing campaign.

Not surprisingly, a third VELCRO® video is planned.