Tina Turner’s Heirs Monopolize the Word TINA. Tina Karol Must Prepare for Tours.

This summer, the heirs and owners of the Tina Turner brand, one of my favorite singers, began a fight to monopolize the word TINA, and Tina Karol needs to prepare for tours in the USA and Europe. Why? Because a Swiss company with registrations in the USA and EU is actively operating. Now, let’s break down what’s happening, and I’ll separately explain and show what Tina Karol needs to do. (By the way, the Chinese have taken an interest in her and have already registered a trademark in her name.)

What Happened and Why I’m Talking About Tina Karol. Details Below. ⬇️

In April 2024, a tribute band called Simply Tina filed an application to register the trademark Simply Tina in the USA. This summer, they received an opposition to the registration from the owner of the verbal trademark Tina Turner. I looked into this opposition and conducted research on this case, along with searches on Tina Turner and something that also interests me about Tina Karol.

In total, there are 20 applications involving Tina Turner. Most were filed by Tina Turner herself, then by her husband and his company. However, Tina Turner registered them quite narrowly, mainly covering her rights to musical recordings. Over time, she realized the importance of her name and expanded the list of goods to include clothing, shows, mugs, and printed materials. Interestingly, this also includes Class 9—science, research, and specifically highlighted devices and equipment for diving.

Most of her trademarks recently ceased to exist, were not renewed, or are in the process of termination. However, new applications have recently emerged on behalf of her husband, Swiss citizen Erwin Bach, and the Swiss company TT Entertainment AG, which filed the opposition and is building a monopoly around the word TINA. Some new trademarks were filed recently because the old applications were not renewed or the renewal fees were not paid. So, don’t forget to pay for your trademarks.

A Swiss joint-stock company, TT Teamwork Productions AG, appeared, registered in Schlieren according to the Swiss commercial register:

Founded on December 12, 2013, as an Aktiengesellschaft (AG).
Main activity: acquisition, holding, and commercialization of rights in the fields of entertainment, culture, music, and leisure. It specializes in managing rights in entertainment, culture, music, and media. Its primary activity is the acquisition, ownership, and commercialization of intellectual property rights in these areas.

This company filed new international trademarks for TINA TURNER, which are currently undergoing registration in various countries, including the EU, where it has already been registered, and the USA, where the registration is still in progress.

Thus, TT Entertainment AG has started the monopolization of TINA. I studied the opposition they filed against the registration of Simply Tina on June 2, 2025. I found out that they associate the famous singer’s activities not only with music but also with film and writing. She participated and starred in several films and wrote a book—a biography.

Moreover, this remarkable figure sold 100 million records during her lifetime and received 12 Grammy Awards.

They claim that the word TINA has been synonymous with Tina Turner since the 1990s. This is the main hook they use to monopolize the word TINA.

Additionally, TINA is a registered trademark that also belongs to this company.

So, what does the opposition from TT Entertainment AG and Erwin Bach state?

He is the owner of two old but still active European trademark registrations:

Tina Turner 001072800.
TINA TURNER-SIMPLY THE BEST — THE MUSICAL 003761897.

Also, TINA is a registered verbal trademark #2431548, which also belongs to this company.

The applicant, Simply Tina, is an individual from Minnesota who also plans to use the trademark for concerts. Thus, the opposition is entirely logical due to similar activities. If they didn’t have the verbal trademark TINA, this opposition would have been difficult. After all, Tina is a female name used by more than one woman in the world. At this stage, the applicant Simply Tina has not responded to the opposition, and after the waiting period, I believe they won’t respond, and the application will be canceled.

Now, Let’s Move to Tina Karol

Why am I interested and advising her to prepare? She has little time. Because the Tina Turner trademarks and others were inactive, they have now been revived, and there is a TINA registration. In a few months, confirmation of the validity of this registration in the USA will be obtained, and the applicant, particularly the new TT Teamwork Productions AG, which deals with concerts and rights management in the entertainment sector, will strengthen the monopolization of the word TINA with legal support. And then there are the Chinese.

I conducted a search for Tina Karol and found a Cyrillic registration in Ukraine from 2016. Tina Karol, as a smart and practical woman, has, of course, paid attention to the legal capitalization of her name.

However, I did NOT find registrations in the EU or the USA. It’s still possible to do this now, but it must be done smartly, not head-on, and a proper portfolio needs to be prepared. I often emphasize this to my clients: a portfolio of your intellectual capital, where all necessary documents are collected according to a specific strategy to confirm investments and brand protection. It’s not simple, and I’ll record a separate video about it.

For now, I’ll only say that for tours in the EU and USA, all documents must be ready, coordinated with a patent strategist in accordance with the chosen strategy and intellectual property objects.

What I found interesting, probably for Tina Karol as well, is that the Chinese have already registered Tina_Karol in the name of an unknown person. Here are those trademarks.

As their Premier stated, China will now place special emphasis on intellectual property, not just innovation. So, act smartly and quickly, don’t repeat Apple’s mistake with Steve Jobs, and protect and invest in your name wisely. This intellectual capitalization can help, support, and secure you.

It only requires a competent and timely approach.

On June 2, 2025, representatives of Tina Turner’s estate filed an opposition, arguing that the name is so similar that it could cause confusion among the public with the official Tina Turner brand. Tina Turner, as a smart woman in her time, registered many trademarks worldwide with the verbal designation Tina Turner.

Reason: The estate owns trademarks and rights to the name Tina Turner, as well as shows and licensed performances that already use similar names and formats.

🎯 What This Means for Tina Karol—and Any Artist

If an artist uses a stage name, brand, or even part of a famous name, they need to check whether there is already a registered trademark for that name or phrase in the country where they plan to tour. Registering your own trademark or domain in advance is often cheaper and safer than litigating later. In the USA, such disputes can drag on for years, and legal support costs can be significant.

💡 Conclusion

Artists like Tina Karol should take the protection of their name and brand seriously—legally—before touring in the USA and other countries where name rights are strictly protected. Otherwise, the risks include lawsuits, restrictions on using their own name, or being forced to change names and branding in promotions.

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