Naming a TV show is more complicated than it may appear. Especially if you have Amazon’s money behind you and want to launch a global platform for car enthusiasts.
The unfortunate situation is happening to the new Amazon car show, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.
The former Top Gear trio was reportedly using the “Gear Knobs” name, as insiders discovered that Jeremy Clarkson’s company had registered to use the name last year, but legal matters forbid them to use it on a global scale.
Jeremy Clarkson confirmed that they wanted to use the “Gear Knobs” name, but explained that intellectual property laws forbid them to proceed.
Their lawyer informed the crew that any pun related to Top Gear, BBC, or any wordplay leading to the former show would not go past regulators.
The BBC owns the rights to many popular parts of the old Top Gear show, including potential name derivatives, so nothing with “Top” or “Gear” is allowed.
Furthermore, the “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car,” “The Cool Wall,” and “The Stig” are trademarks of the BBC. So many segments of the former show will not be revived in the famous formula of the trio.
Furthermore, once the trio finds a name they like and that’s approved by their legal team, the designation will still need to get the green light from Amazon. Considering the American e-commerce giant invested 160 million pounds in the production of 36 episodes, it is in their best interest to make sure the show is popular.
According to Huffington Post, Jeremy Clarkson claims to have spent “thousands of pounds” on attorney fees in their quest to find a new name for their show. While the sum seems exaggerated, you must remind yourselves that the trio is looking for a name that refers to cars and fun, and it must not be registered commercially anywhere else in the world.
Considering we live in the 21st century, there are few catchy names people have not considered when it comes to cars. We just hope they figure it out faster, so their show starts on time this fall.
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