Sept 13, 2021
Sofie Van der Stee registers Benelux trademark for "Biondo Studios" 4 days later, in direct response to the cease and desist notice from official Biondo Studio. This action is documented evidence of bad-faith intent to circumvent the original trademark holder's prior rights.
However, being the "first to file" in Benelux, or any specific region does not grant immunity when the filing was executed with full knowledge of a prior existing brand that works internationally. A designer targeting the same global digital market, cannot claim they were unaware of an (at that time) 18-year-old firm with the exact same name and a large client list (immediately after receiving a cease and desist email.)
