There’s been a lot of talk over the past week about the situation between Victoria and David Beckham and their son, Brooklyn, in regards to their feud, which in many ways parallels Prince Harry’s estrangement from the royal family. The Spice Girl’s supposedly inappropriate dance at Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz’s wedding has possibly gotten the most attention, but it’s not the only accusation lobbed at the celebrity power couple. What’s the story behind allegations that the Beckhams tried to bribe Brooklyn into giving up the rights to his name?
In a series of scathing Instagram Stories posts shared on January 19, Brooklyn Beckham confirmed a rift in the family, saying David and Victoria care only about their public personas — “Brand Beckham comes first” — and that their “love” was contingent on social media posts. He also made the following claim regarding his name, writing:
Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children. They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since.
No details have been released regarding the alleged bribe or what David and Victoria Beckham were specifically asking him to sign. However, the Intellectual Property Office records reportedly show that Victoria has owned not just Brooklyn’s name, but also those of her other children — Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14 — since she filed for the trademarks in December 2016.
With Brooklyn Beckham and his brothers being over 18, they could have requested that their mom transfer the rights over to them. According to a source for The Times (UK):
This is a misunderstanding of the position. Of course, a parent or adult would make the original filing if the person were a child at the point they needed to register, but Brooklyn and his brothers, who are now all over 18, own their trademarks and Brooklyn manages his with his own team.
All four trademarks are reportedly set to expire in December 2026. Brooklyn Beckham didn’t make it clear in his social media post what the current status of the trademark ownership was, but it’s a big deal if he would want to use his name to secure brand deals. The trademark covers a long list of products and services — leather goods, music, pens, shoes, makeup and more — that he would otherwise need his mother’s permission for.
While David Beckham awkwardly refused to comment on his son’s bombshell post, he did say in a general statement about the dangers of social media that, “Children are allowed to make mistakes. That’s how they learn.”
David and Victoria Beckham are reportedly worried that the prenuptial agreement Brooklyn (who also spent the holidays away from his folks) signed ahead of his 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz makes him financially vulnerable in the case that they would break up. However, unlike Brooklyn, who said, “I do not want to reconcile with my family,” his parents allegedly, “would take him back in a minute,” according to an insider.
It’s an emotional situation, to be sure, and we’ll have to see if more information comes to light regarding this trademark.
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