SPIRIT OF ECSTASY
The Spirit of Ecstasy was registered as intellectual property of Rolls-Royce on 6 February 1911. Sculpted by Charles Sykes and modelled on Eleanor Thornton — the secretary and secret lover of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu — the mascot is one of the few three-dimensional trademarks that predates modern trademark classification.
UK IPO Record
Brand History & Trademark Analysis
The Spirit of Ecstasy was registered as intellectual property of Rolls-Royce on 6 February 1911. Sculpted by Charles Sykes and modelled on Eleanor Thornton — the secretary and secret lover of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu — the mascot is one of the few three-dimensional trademarks that predates modern trademark classification. When VW bought Rolls-Royce Motors, they acquired rights to this mascot and the grille shape separately from the brand name.
When VW bought Rolls-Royce Motors, they acquired rights to this mascot and the grille shape separately from the brand name.
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Historical Background
Charles Sykes received his design commission in 1909 from Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, who wanted a bespoke mascot for his personal Rolls-Royce. The model for the Spirit of Ecstasy was Eleanor Thornton, Montagu's secretary and confidante. Thornton died in 1915 when a ship carrying her was torpedoed by a German submarine. Rolls-Royce adopted Sykes's design as the standard factory-supplied mascot in 1911. It was registered as a UK trademark in both its standing and kneeling versions, and again as a 3D mark in modern trademark filings.