Gambling Firm Applies to Trademark ‘Bangaranga’ After Eurovision Win

Only days after Bulgaria’s song “Bangaranga” performed by DARA won at this year’s Eurovision contest, a proposal to register the name “Bangaranga” as a European trademark has surfaced, raising issues of intellectual property and the commercialization of cultural success.

Mystery Applicant Files ‘Bangaranga’ Trademark for Gaming Use

The application was filed on May 17 with the intellectual property office of the European Union, publicly available records show. The application was not released by singer DARA or her production team, but is believed to be connected to a company in the gambling industry. The application is for gaming machines, betting chips, and other services, the report said. 

At this stage, the identity of the applicant is not known. Procedural rules keep such details confidential until initial checks and payments are made. However, legal experts have highlighted signs of Bulgarian involvement, such as the use of Bulgarian as the procedural language and representation by a local attorney, as reported by Bulgarian media outlet OFFNews. 

The trademark request is not just for the word itself. It also has a specific visual concept, so the applicant will be bringing branded designs associated with the name in a commercial environment. 

The legal commentary has been split. Some specialists warn that the timing of the filing, just after the success of the song on an international level, could be an attempt to take advantage of the sudden success of the song. On this view, such actions are subject to challenge if they are shown to make unfair use of an existing reputation or to prevent rightful use by the original creators. 

‘Bangaranga’ Case Highlights Law vs Hype in Trademark Fight

Others say that the situation needs to be evaluated strictly within legal boundaries. The representative of the application said that the initiative comes from a Bulgarian company that has international operations and emphasized that it is better for a Bulgarian business to act, rather than a foreign one. She also stressed that copyright protections do not automatically give exclusive rights over single words, even if they become widely known. 

In explaining her view, the representative proposed that the popularity of a familiar phrase does not have to be at odds with artistic accomplishment, noting larger commercial forces at play, with familiar names creating a buzz in many different fields. 

Meanwhile, there are concerns that the artist’s team has yet to secure trademark protection for the song title. They say they still have time to challenge the application within a certain time frame, or to go to the law courts if they see fit. 

It was also revealed that the name “Bangaranga” was registered as an internet domain earlier this year by a cosmetics company shortly after the track was selected for Eurovision participation. That adds another layer to the race for the commercially valuable name, showing how fast intellectual property opportunities can be snapped up following a major cultural moment.