Mrs. Universe contestants pose in a Vilnius University courtyard earlier this month. Photo by Mrs. Universe 2010 Contest.
VILNIUS — Miss Universe is taking on Mrs. Universe, not for who’s more beautiful but over a trademark issue.
Miss Universe, which is owned by American real estate mogul Donald Trump and NBC Universal, contend that Lithuania’s Mrs. Universe is infringing on their copyright and is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.
“We have filed a suit with the Vilnius District Court for illegal use of a trademark by Mrs. Universe,” Erikas Saukalas, a lawyer representing Miss Universe Organization L.P., told Baltic News Service last week.
Saukalas said Miss Universe had attempted to settle the issue out of court but was unable to come to an agreement with Mrs. Universe, which is run by Pramogu Akademija.
The Mrs. Universe contest is refuting Miss Universe’s allegations.
“Universe is a generic word, so the U.S. company’s claims are ungrounded,” Evelina Gruzdienė, Pramogu Akademija director told the Associated Press last week. Gruzdienė also opined that since this year’s Mrs. Universe held an awareness campaign about human trafficking, there may be a conspiracy by human traffickers to stop the beauty contest.
As the name implies, Mrs. Universe requires that contestants be married, while Miss Universe is for unmarried women. The current Mrs. Universe is Jennika Hannusaari of Finland, while the current Miss Universe is Jimena Navarrete of Mexico. The contests are held simultaneously in August.
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DONALD TRUMP AND THE MISS UNIVERSE ORGANIZATION ARE INSECURE ABOUT THE GLOBAL PRESENCE OF MRS. UNIVERSE!
Hey, Mr. DONALD TRUMP, you and your company DO NOT OWN the word “universe” and you have NO exclusive right to use the word “universe.” The trademark Miss Universe (which is a phrase)–yes! You own it! But the generic word UNIVERSE–NEVER!
You and your lawyer’s claim that the company or organizers of MRS. UNIVERSE Pageant and Competition in Europe is using a trademark illegally is very ILLOGICAL, BASELESS and UNREASONABLE!!! They DO NOT commit any copyright or trademark infringement!
Miss Universe (beauty contest for young adult, SINGLE women) is VERY DIFFERENT from Mrs. Universe (beauty contest for mature, MARRIED women)!
You should know the VERY SIMPLE and CLEAR DIFFERENCE and DISTINCTION between MISS and MRS.!!!
Today, there are MISS WORLD and MRS. WORLD, MISS EARTH and MRS. EARTH, MISS GLOBE and MRS. GLOBE, MISS INTERNATIONAL and MRS. INTERNATIONAL, MISS AMERICA and MRS. AMERICA contests/pageants being staged annually on this planet. The MISS pageants organizers never complain; it’s just okay with them if there are MRS. pageants, while you, you went to the extent of suing the Mrs. Universe organizers! You and your company SHOULD NOT BE INSECURE if there is MRS. UNIVERSE!!!
MR. DONALD TRAMP, if there is any company in Europe or anywhere in the world that would also organize and stage another pageant with the name MISS UNIVERSE, then that’s the time that you should complain…
but with MRS. UNIVERSE? YOU SHOULD NOT! Yes, they are both beauty competitions but MRS. UNIVERSE is entirely different from MISS UNIVERSE! MRS. is spelled and sounds differently from MISS! You sound unreasonable…
There is an air of galactic STUPIDITY in this universe!!!
The two are VERY obviously different from each other!
MISS UNIVERSE IS A SINGLE OR UNMARRIED WOMAN! MRS. UNIVERSE IS A MARRIED WOMAN! PERIOD!