Entertainers Not Owning Their IP Could Cost Them Big Money

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The entertainment industry is big business; however, local entertainers could possibly be leaving thousands on the table by failing to consider one strategic business element.

So many take the entertainment industry as just a hobby, but in reality it is a business, and in this business, according to Bodine Victoria, there is one common mistake a lot of creatives make. Protect their IP.

It’s a billion-dollar business. The entertainment industry has stimulated economies globally for centuries and, more recently, has helped to launch a new generation of multimillionaires.

But here at home, hundreds of local artists struggle to attain financial success.

In a recent conversation with longtime entertainer Bodine Victoria Johnson, she shared why she believes many creatives fall short in managing their intellectual property.

From copyrighting lyrics and patents to trademarking your name, associated symbols and even your physical image, they are all considered a part of your IP.

Bodine Victoria Johnson — Entertainer
“If you are constantly seen with a particular hairstyle, you are constantly seen in specific colors like a Pepsi can, like a Coca-Cola can, there’s a particular font type associated with you or there is a phrase that you use often enough, you would want to trademark that it is synonymous with you. For example, when I say ‘It’s Bodacious huh,’ that is kind of a sound trademark for me.”

And with the emergence of AI, she said it is crucial now more than ever.

Bodine Victoria Johnson — Entertainer
“It is a necessity for artists to own the way that they look, their image, their likeness. Nobody can take Taylor Swift’s image and likeness and create that in an AI form and get money off of that or monetize it because her lawyers will come for you.”

Bodine advises all creatives to seek counsel from a local or international lawyer, and she says it’s never too early in your career to manage your intellectual property.

Bodine Victoria Johnson — Entertainer
“Reggie has a dance that can be trademarked. He can’t trademark the song, but he has a dance that can be trademarked, and the Caribbean, the world over, has been able to capitalize off that dance, and he was a high schooler. And I would say to anybody, if there is something that is unique that you know that is very special, it’s always in your best interest to trademark it, to copyright it, whatever it is, and to ensure that you own the intellectual property for it.”