'Becky's two fingers to Coleen': Rebekah Vardy trademarks 'Wagatha Christie' phrase to 'cash in' over row
19 April 2023, 08:46
Rebekah Vardy has trademarked the phrase 'Wagatha Christie' to "cash in" over the saga.
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Ms Vardy won the rights to the phrase which was first coined in October 2019 after Coleen Rooney accused her of selling stories about her.
Despite losing the legal battle last year, Ms Vardy quietly applied for the trademark eight months ago, using a friend’s company, London Entertainment Inc Ltd, according to the Sun.
The move means anyone wishing to use the phrase for commercial purposes will have to get her permission — and pay her for it if she agrees.
It covers broadcasting, clothing, non-alcoholic beverages, education and beauty.
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"This trademark is Becky’s two fingers to Coleen and all the misery associated with ‘Wagatha Christie’," a source told the paper.
"Becky is shrewd and knew people would try to cash in on the phrase.
"She now owns the UK trademark and would consider expanding it to other territories if she thought it was needed.
"If someone wants to print the logo on a mug, for example, they would be infringing the trademark if they didn’t ask permission.
"Or if someone wanted to use the phrase to promote a documentary or a film, they would have to ask to use it as they would be exploiting the phrase for monetary gain.
"It is a legal grey area in some respects, however, and will be done on a case-by-case basis."
The libel case unfolded in 2019 when Ms Rooney accused Ms Vardy of selling stories about her and her football star husband Wayne Rooney.
Ms Rooney shared false stories about herself across her online accounts which only Ms Vardy or her representatives could see.
The move prompted comedian Dan Atkinson to tweet “Coleen Rooney: Wagatha Christie”, within an hour of her unveiling her detective work.
However, Ms Vardy has always denied selling Ms Rooney’s stories to the press.
The highly-publicised row went on to be made into a West End musical as well as a TV drama.
