Bollywood's king of romance, Shah Rukh Khan, has taken his stardom to another level after filing an application to trademark his initials "SRK" to prevent it from being used without permission.
The 46-year-old actor, who is a huge brand by himself, joins the list of other national and international celebrities like tennis star Roger Federer, basketball player Michael Jordon and singer Jennifer Lopez, who trademarked their names in the past.
According to The Times of India, Shah Rukh had recently submitted an application at the Delhi office of the Trade Mark Registry to trademark his initials. He is yet to receive any confirmation regarding the registry, but once it is done then no one would be able to use his initials without his prior permission. Also, several industries manufacturing items from tobacco products to food would be barred from using the actor's name for promoting their brand.
"SRK has become bigger with every project. He has taken this decision after a lot of thought. Career wise, it is a great decision to safeguard his brand," a source close to the actor told TOI.
If a person or party has an objection against the trademark, then a notice can be filed within three months of the publishing of the trademark in the Indian Trademark Journal.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar trademarked his name "SRT" (Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar) earlier this year. Apparently, film producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra had asked Sachin's permission before using his name in the sports comedy movie "Ferrari Ki Sawaari".
