The 'Bruh' Toll: How Trademark Squatting Weaponizes IP Law Against Small Businesses
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
A dispute over a common slang term reveals a systemic vulnerability in intellectual property oversight, where 'bad faith' registrations are used to extort small-scale entrepreneurs.
As first reported by CBC News, Sam Joseph Karam, owner of U.S.-based apparel company Customized Designs, saw 11 of his "bruh" T-shirt designs removed from Etsy following a trademark complaint. The takedown also led Etsy to revoke Karam's "Star Seller" badge, which he says caused an immediate drop in sales.
The complaint was filed by Malik Yawar Abbas, who holds a Canadian trademark for the word "bruh" issued by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) in July 2025 for clothing, and more recently for restaurant service advertising. While Abbas's website features mock-ups of energy drinks and clothing, it offers no actual goods for sale, instead directing users to license the word. Abbas told CBC News these images represent "potential commercial applications" and that the trademark is being developed as a "commercial licensing brand."
Karam alleges "trademark squatting," claiming Abbas offered to retract the Etsy complaints only if Karam agreed to specific terms and paid $1,000. Abbas described the payment as a "proposed settlement" for a "negotiated resolution of a disputed trademark matter" and denies squatting.
Carys Craig, a professor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, told CBC News that a 2019 update to Canadian law allows trademarks filed in "bad faith" to be invalidated, though the area remains relatively untested. Karam is currently consulting an intellectual property lawyer to determine if he can challenge the mark's validity.