Bad News for Red Stripe

Today’s Wall Street Journal, has a article about Bob Marley’s family working with Hilco Consumer Capital to use Bob Marley’s name and likeness. One of the first products on the list is a “Marley Lager, a Jamaican beer featuring the singer’s likeness.” This means sell your Red Stripe stock.

Now, the Marley family and a private equity firm that invests in retail brands are preparing a major push to license Mr. Marley’s likeness, trademarks and themes to apparel, food and even video games. Hilco Consumer Capital, which has compiled a stable of retail brands including Halston and Ellen Tracy, this month invested some $20 million for half of House of Marley LLC, a joint venture with the Marley family, according to people familiar with the matter.

I am not sure how Bob would treat this idea, but in case my family gets any ideas about licensing my image, I have set some ground rules for the products that I will allow. Here we go:

• Bowling Shoes — For the shoe fashionista who is comfortable to let others know their foot size.
• No-Tuck Shirts — The first cool guy that made wearing untucked shirts fashionable is a man that we should all envy, and I would like to think I can take that guy’s credit by attaching my name to this fashion trend.
• Instant Coffee Brandy — Who has time to mix a Down East Maine “Brandy”? I mean Coffee Brandy, milk and ice (optional) takes way too long to get right, so let’s just create a freeze dried version, with my name on the label, that packs the fun of alcohol and caffeine without filling us up.

What would you allow? Add it in the comments below.