Trending: Blue Ivy's got 99 problems but a trademark ain't one

It has emerged that Beyoncé and Jay-Z applied for a patent application for the name of their daughter, Blue Ivy, on January 26 – just three weeks after she was born.

While some commentators were quick to accuse the business-savvy couple of cashing in on their child's name by securing a future line of branded products, surely it is actually a smart move that restricts any old chancer from bringing out a range of Blue Ivy bibs, cots and nappies for the masses.

And lucky they moved so quickly – apparently two other applications were made to trademark the name, but the requests were denied by the US Patent and Trademark Office because they said it was the name of a "very famous infant". Perhaps now hip-hop's premier couple will be able to halt the sale of the "Blue Ivy" marijuana that has been purveyed by California's weed dispensaries since the little girl's birth last month.

But while enterprising manufacturers have seen their Blue Ivy product ideas bite the legal dust, it might be an idea for other famous couples to follow suit and trademark the names of their own offspring. Otherwise the market could be quickly saturated with Suri ballet slippers, Willow hair products, Cruz footballs, Lila Grace skinny jeans and Shiloh swords.