Serena Williams’ venture capital firm has hit a dead end in its attempt to trademark its name.
Serena Ventures is the venture capital firm of the tennis star. She serves as managing partner while Beth Ferreira serves as general partner. The firm has invested in 16 unicorn companies since its inception, and its portfolio includes health, finance, AI, and consumer sectors, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has denied registration of the Serena Ventures trademark, which was initially applied for in November 2020, according to Law360. The reasoning is that it could be confused with “Serena,” an existing trademark that also invests in real estate and other areas. That trademark is owned by Florida-based VC Management Florida LLC.
The TTAB panel, consisting of three judges, said it rejected Williams’ argument that her registered trademark applied only to real estate. The decision stated that “only some of registrant’s services are restricted to the field of real estate; others (including ‘capital investment services’ and ‘financing services’) contain no such restriction,” according to Law360.
The panel also said there was insufficient evidence from Williams that consumers would see “Serena Ventures” as clearly connected to the tennis star, which would distinguish it. However, it acknowledged they “take judicial notice, as a commonly known fact not subject to dispute, that applicant is a well-known tennis player.”
“Applicant failed to provide evidence that consumers of financial and investment services would make this association — i.e., applicant’s renown in tennis, or even sports more generally, does not automatically transfer to a different commercial field,” the decision read.
Hillary Hughes of Foster Garvey PC, who represents Williams, has responded to the matter, according to Law360.
“The Serena Ventures brand has evolved, and this application is no longer being pursued, Hughes said. “This was a business decision. The fund had strong grounds to obtain the registration but chose not to continue the process.”
This update follows a story by AFROTECH™ that Serena Ventures has rebranded as Starfire Ventures, a move Williams said would ensure greater longevity and opportunities for the VC firm beyond her.
