you Can register a motion as a brand? You can. The tuna mountain – so Greta and her family have done just that.

A motion as a brand – is that possible? Photo: Michael Schick/imago

On 23. December submitted the tuna mountain, in the European intellectual property office, the request to leave Fridays for the Future as a brand to protect. A Thunberg-Familiar, the Australian Janine O'keeffe, has already been submitted in November a similar application. This sounds stupid: FFF is in addition to other product and company names such as Coca-Cola, Siemens or Shell.

Everyone that uses the brand name in a different sense than the protected, must reckon with a penalty. The tuna mountain, with applications to various fields of Use such as advertising and Marketing, Finance, cultural activities, but also Software, umbrellas, and the provision of information in the name of FFF.

The idea behind it is to protect a trademark is to prevent their misuse. For example, if Tesla would bring an electric car, model "Fridays for Future", out, could Thunberg take action against it. Or if Siemens should soon get the idea, its energy, Siemens division to rename Energy into "Siemens Fridays for Future". So it is a good idea? So.

The Problem is that the hierarchy and the cult of personality to strengthen the movement further. Thunberg has since counter-controlled, such as the UN climate change forum, as she stepped quickly out of the spot light and the stage is less well-known activists left. To secure the brand now, even if other environmental activist*be able to use them more is counterproductive.

But how to prevent that in such a broad movement of people or companies involved who only want to benefit from the Image? Not necessarily by protecting the brand. It would be better to show the content of the clear edge. Against capitalist, and fascist, and Chauvinist*indoor, climate protection from Patriotic reasons.

The strength of FFF is not yet, that is the "usual Suspects". FFF is a relatively heterogeneous grass-roots movement. Nevertheless, the question of institutionalisation at some point: Should FFF be an NGO or not? For the character Movement is not important that the Power is concentrated. The question of where to go, must be all out.