French Entrepreneur Battles DC Comics Over ‘Wondermum’ App Name
A French woman is locked in a legal dispute with DC Comics over the name of her family advice application, “Wondermum,” highlighting the challenges faced by small businesses navigating complex intellectual property rights. Lise Sobéron, the app’s creator, received a cease-and-desist letter on April 1st from DC Comics’ French legal counsel, alleging trademark infringement due to similarities with the iconic “Wonder Woman” character.
Sobéron initially dismissed the letter as an April Fool’s joke. “When I got the letter, I rang my close friends and said: ‘Very funny, guys,’ thinking it was an April fool,” she recounted. However, contact with the lawyers’ office quickly dispelled that notion. “They told me DC Comics objected to the name Wondermum.”
The “Wondermum” app, based in Caen, Normandy, serves as a local resource for families, providing listings for activities and workshops, alongside parenting advice and a community chatroom. Sobéron, a local advocate who speaks in schools about bullying, strongly maintains that her app bears no resemblance to the superheroine.
The visual branding of “Wondermum” further distinguishes it from its namesake. While Wonder Woman is known for her red, gold, and blue star-spangled attire, Sobéron’s “Wondermum” is depicted wearing a white T-shirt, blue trousers, and red stiletto heels – notably lacking a headdress. The app’s logo features a hexagonal pink and purple design with the letters “WM,” but “Wondermum” is presented as a single word, utilizing the British spelling of “mum” instead of the American “mom.”
“As far as I’m aware, DC Comics doesn’t own the word ‘wonder’,” Sobéron asserted, adding that she considered alternative names like “Maman Merveilleuse” but felt they lacked the same appeal.
The inspiration behind the name “Wondermum” is deeply personal. Sobéron’s 11-year-old daughter, Lou, coined the term after the death of her father, Lounis, from Charcot’s disease in 2020 at the age of 36. “She told me that I am a real wonder mum, a true superhero, and better than a cartoon character because I exist and they don’t. How can I change the name after that?” Sobéron explained. “The aim of the site is to help parents, and 80% of those using the site are mothers, many of them bringing up children alone like me. We are all superheroes but we have no power, and that’s what it’s about.”
The legal battle is taking a significant toll on Sobéron, both emotionally and financially. She reports losing 8kg (18lbs) in six months due to the stress. “We’re not talking about taking on the local corner shop but an American giant,” she stated. She has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover the mounting legal fees. “At first I didn’t want to ask for money. It felt like begging and I have my pride. But now everything I earn is going in legal fees. My lawyer is a friend, so she’s not charging me a fortune, but she cannot work for free,” Sobéron said.
DC Comics is demanding the removal of the name, graphics, and logo from the app. Sobéron estimates that rebranding and redesigning the application will cost between €20,000 and €30,000 (£17,500 and £26,000), representing a substantial financial burden after two years of development and an existing loan.
Anne-Laure Boileau, Sobéron’s lawyer, argues that the only commonality between the two trademarks is the prefix “wonder.” “It basically criticises the similarities between the two trademarks but the only similarity is the prefix ‘wonder’. Beyond this prefix and beyond the reference to women, there are no visual or graphic similarities, and above all, we are dealing with concepts that are completely different,” she told French television.
The Paris-based firm Beau de Loménie, representing DC Comics, declined to comment on the case. However, a lawyer from the firm told Le Parisien in April that the action was necessary to protect DC Comics’ intellectual property rights. “My client is a company that has invested heavily in its intellectual property rights and wishes to preserve them. There is no intention to harm this lady, and in fact, DC Comics is taking an amicable approach in an attempt to reach an agreement.”
Sobéron says DC Comics has offered no alternative solutions. “I really don’t know why they are doing this,” she said. “It’s a real David and Goliath battle, which I just hope I can win.”
