Karla Gómez, the Mexico City street vendor and single mother whose Mexican jersey-clad duck Merlin became an Internet sensation and an ambassador for the World Cup in Mexico City, was concerned about unauthorized use of her pet’s name and image by for-profit interests.
So on Monday, she registered for trademark protection for Merlin with the Mexican Institute of Intellectual Property (IMPI).
“I need to register it now because there is a lot of abuse [from companies],” she told the news outlet EFE before registering. “I repeat, they are abusing a humble family.”
Apparently, she did so just in time, because three other people seeking to register El Pato Merlín as a brand also submitted applications.
But the head of IMPI, Vidal Llerenas, issued a public statement confirming that the “Merlin the duck” brand belongs to Karla Gómez and her family.
“It is a public and well-known fact that Merlin the duck is a pet of the family of Karla Ivette Gómez, who owns the brand,” Llenares wrote on his official X account, using an alternative spelling of her first name. His statement was later shared on the official social media accounts of IMPI and the Economy Ministry.
The IMPI status means that nobody else can profit from Merlin without Karla Gómez’s permission, although street vendors have already been selling Merlin-based soft toys.
For Gómez, protecting Merlin’s name as a trademark is not only a business move but an act of love for her pet.
“I’m not going to let other companies come and profit from something that is part of my family and that is purely love,” she said. “I don’t want to help any company; companies will have to come to me.”
However, she said there’s one company she is willing to help. “The only company I do want to help is Corporativo Pascual,” she said, referring to the fruit-based soft drink producer, but did not offer details as to why.
Merlin skyrocketed to internet fame after he was seen waddling through the streets of Mexico City’s Centro Histórico dressed in a green jersey with tiny socks and sneakers, following the national team’s victory in the tournament’s opener.
Since then, Merlin has made headlines across the world, with his image appearing in everything from memes to AI images and viral new content.
With reports from El Universal and ESPN
