‘Feyonce’ brand won’t be shut

One letter can make all the difference.

A federal judge rejected Beyonce’s request for a permanent injunction to stop a Texas company catering to people engaged to be married from selling dozens of shirts, tank tops, hoodies and other items bearing the name Feyonce.

The pop superstar complained in a lawsuit brought in April 2016 that Feyonce Inc’s sale of knockoffs infringed her trademark rights and would confuse consumers.

But in a decision issued on Monday, US District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said San Antonio-based Feyonce’s choice to capitalise off the “exceedingly famous” Beyonce trademark did not mean confusion would follow.

“A rational jury might or might not conclude that the pun here is sufficient to dispel any confusion among the purchasing public,” she wrote.

Nathan said that by replacing the “B” in Beyonce with an “F,” the defendants created a mark that sounds like “fiance,” their core customer, in a “play on words” that could dispel confusion.

Nathan ordered both sides to discuss a possible settlement and trial dates.