Coleen's Wagatha documentary 'questions legitimacy' of Rebekah's trademark

18 October 2023 , 07:31

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Coleen's Wagatha documentary 'questions legitimacy' of Rebekah's trademark

Coleen Rooney's damning Wagatha Christie documentary could throw a spanner in the works for Rebekah Vardy.

Today, the former television star will share her side of the infamous story for the first time in a documentary series shared on Dinsey+. Over the last four years, both Coleen and Vardy have been at loggerheads. Just last year, the WAGs were embroiled in a legal row which saw Vardy attempt to sue Coleen for libel.

Vardy v Rooney in 2022 saw a judge rule in Coleen's favour. Three years prior, in 2019, Coleen sensationally accused Rebekah of leaking private stories to the British media via her Instagram account – a claim she continues to strongly deny. Their battle saw the case come to trial at the High Court in May 2022 after Vardy, 41, sued Rooney, 37, for libel. However, the presiding judge Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in favour of Coleen and said it was "likely" that Rebekah's agent at the time, Caroline Watt, "undertook the direct act" of passing information to a newspaper.

Vardy previously trademarked the term Wagatha Christie (Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Coleen will share her story for the first time in a bombshell documentary (GC Images)

Now, Liverpudlian-born Coleen is set to open up about the actual story which saw her plant several false stories on her private Instagram page – including claims she was travelling to Mexico to start a gender selection process – in a bid to find out who was leaking stories to the press. Earlier this year, Rebekah trademarked the term Wagatha Christie which came about from social media users' response to Coleen's investigations.

However, Coleen's Disney+ documentary, The Real Wagatha Story questions the legitimacy of Vardy's move to trademark the term, according to a leading lawyer. Speaking to the Mirror, director of Britton and Time Solicitors, Joseph Navas said: "Rebekah Vardy trademarking the term Wagatha Christie sparked controversy and raised ethical concerns when the news first broke.

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"The phrase, coined amid her legal battle with Coleen Rooney, became symbolic of a celebrity scandal involving social media, privacy and trust. By trademarking it, Vardy gained control over its commercial use, which arguably infringes upon freedom of expression and artistic creativity." He went on to add: "Some view Vardy's move as an attempt to monetise a public controversy. However, if that was Vardy's intention, the legal position throws a spanner into the works."

Joseph explained that Vardy may face legal challenges if she doesn't plan to use the trademark for its purposes and instead trademarked it so others cannot use it. In documents obtained by the Mirror, her trademark covers everything from clothing, non-alcoholic beverages, broadcasting, education and beauty. She applied for the trademark under the company, London Limited Inc Ltd.

Joseph added: "In those circumstances, the registration can be challenged under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and may be cancelled for bad faith. There is a risk of it being seen as 'trade mark squatting' where someone registers a known brand with the intent to profit later, hindering competitors.

"Additionally, holders of earlier rights in 'WAGATHA CHRISTIE' could challenge the registration if they can prove association with the phrase before Vardy's application. Given the phrase's widespread use, including a podcast, TV drama, clothing, and even a play, these challenges seem plausible, questioning the legitimacy of Vardy's trademark."

*Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story launches on Disney+ today.

Daniel Bird