Nairobi News

Kenyan singer Miss Picasah risks losing the stage name, Miss P, following the registration of the name as a trademark by her former record label.

Saldido International Entertainment Ltd has filed with Kenya Industrial Property Institute (Kipi) to trademark the name Miss P. According to the notice, which was published on May 31, 2022, the singer has 60 days to dispute it.

“Registration of this mark shall give no right to the exclusive use of the word “MISS” and the letter “P” each separately and apart from the mark as a whole,” the notice reads in part.

According to Kipi, formal opposition should not be lodged until after reasonable notice has been given in writing to the applicant for registration to afford him any opportunity of withdrawing his application before the expense of preparing the notice of opposition is incurred.

Failure to give such notice will be taken into account in considering any application by an opponent for an order for costs if the opposition is uncontested by the applicant.

According to the Trademarks Act in Kenya, trademark registration is valid for 10 years from the date of application. Six months prior to the expiry of the 10 years, the registrar is required by law to notify the owner of the trademark of the imminent expiry of the concerned trademark.

Before being featured in Willy Paul’s music video Liar, very little was known about Miss P. Her entry into the music industry was courtesy of Willy Paul who signed her to his record label Saldido International before they later fell out.

In an online interview last year, the Fall in Love singer blamed Willy Paul for her decision to leave Saldido. She claimed Willy Paul sexually assaulted her while she was signed under his label.

But Willy Paul moved to the court accusing Miss P of defaming him, prompting the court to issue temporary orders barring the singer from continuing to defame the former. In addition, the content creator who conducted the interview was directed to pull down the video from his YouTube channel.