May 29, 2024 – Brittany Courville Mocks “Free Britney” Trademark, Misstates It as Copyright

On May 29, 2024, Brittany Courville again publicly misrepresented a 2020 legal filing related to the phrase “Free Britney.” In a tweet posted to her X (formerly Twitter) account, she mocked the effort, incorrectly referring to it as a copyright attempt rather than the trademark application it was. This follows prior instances of Brittany mischaracterizing trademark law and the intent behind the filing.

Tweet:

“Omg I just remembered when deranged alleged fans tried to COPYRIGHT ‘free Britney’ the delusion omg [crying emojis] while they were ON THE CLOCK for work. Shoulda reported them to the boss.”

The application filed in 2020 was not a copyright registration, but a trademark application filed with the USPTO. It was made in good faith to protect the advocacy phrase from commercial exploitation and account suspensions, with the intent to eventually transfer it to Britney Spears herself.

Brittany was aware of this context, as she had previously participated in private group conversations where the filing was discussed and reacted positively. Despite this, she continues to misrepresent the facts publicly.

Legal Clarification:

Trademark and copyright are distinct areas of intellectual property law. Trademark protects words and slogans used in commerce to identify the source of goods or services. Copyright protects original creative works like writings, videos, and music. Repeatedly referring to a trademark application as a “copyright” registration publicly is legally inaccurate and potentially misleading.

Relevant Legal Considerations:

• Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652E – False Light
  Publicly spreading false or misleading claims about someone’s legal actions may create a false impression and damage their reputation.
• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4.1 – Cyber-Harassment
  Repeated online ridicule or distortion of facts with the intent to harm or embarrass a person may fall under cyber-harassment laws in New Jersey.

Screenshot of May 29, 2024 Tweet (in case removed):

Screenshots and records are included solely for documentation and timeline preservation purposes.