Watch: Velcro's lawyers sing a song to tell us not to use their trademark

Velcro, is an example of a brand becoming too successful for its own good. The brand that invented the hook and loop sticking system is now fighting an uphill battle. It wants you to stop using the term 'velcro'. To prevent the misuse of the VELCRO trademark, the company adopted an unconventional approach. In a dramatic music video, it said, "unless it's officially a product of the Velcro Companies, we're supposed to call the stuff "hook and loop."

 

Over the years, Velcro has tried to distinguish itself from their competition, publishing guidelines of appropriate use of their brand name and adopting the slogan: “There is only one“.

 

This time around, they’re taking a more lighthearted approach.

 

"We are taking an unconventional approach to draw attention to an important issue and to encourage people to understand our heritage and future," said Fraser Cameron, CEO, Velcro Companies in a press release.

 

"The fasteners we invented are part of everyday life and widely imitated by other producers, and some people mistakenly call them 'Velcro' or use the term to explain the fastening mechanism. We are proud to launch this campaign and to sharpen awareness of our brand and protect consumers from products falsely associated with it, " he said.

 

"This is a hook, this is a loop" campaign

 

Velcro campaign features an ensemble of real lawyers and actors staging a so-called "first-world-problem".

A message from the lawyers at Velcro companies

 

We're a company that's so successful that everywhere you go, you see a scratchy, hairy fastener and you say, "hey, that's Velcro". 

 

But even though we invented this stuff, our patent lapsed forty years ago. Now, no matter who else makes it, you still wanna call it Velcro. 

 

You think it's awesome for us, we're famous.

 

But we're lawyers and it's causing us grief.

 

'Cause there are trademark laws being broken. It's all here in this short legal brief."

 

And we know this is confusing, because Velcro brand is who we are. 

 

You diminish the importance of our brand and us lawyers.

 

This is a hook, this is a loop. You call it Velcro, but we're begging you - this is a *bleeping* hook-and-loop.

 

“We know this seems ridiculous, this is a first-world situation”

 

We're asking you not to say the name, we took sixty years to built. 

 

But if you keep calling these Velcro shoes, our trademark will get killed.

 

We aren't just doing this for us. We're doing it for all the successful brands that got popular because people started using them in the wrong way.

Brand now synonymous with the product it invented

 

Everyone using the word “Velcro” to describe stuff made with a hook and loop system. Some may say "big deal". However, it has become a major problem for the company.

 

The fact is, that although Velcro the brand invented the hook and loop sticking system, its patent lapsed 40 years ago. This means that other companies were able to begin using the design.

 

Everyone using the word “Velcro” to describe stuff made with a hook and loop system is problematic because it could diminish its brand, as other companies may produce poorer quality, or have other issues which would then be associated with the company.

 

The name "Velcro" comes from the French words for velvet ("velour") and hook ("crochet") and was coined by the Swiss inventor of the hook-and-loop fastener, George de Mestral.

 

Since inventing hook-and-loop 60 years ago, Velcro Companies has created fastening solutions for everything from space suits and stadium turf to baby diapers and blood-pressure cuffs.