Billionaire Kanye West Files 'DONDA' Trademark as He Prepares to Launch Tech Company The 44-year-old billionaire is filing a "DONDA" name trademark for a line of tech products.
By Charlene Rhinehart Edited by Dan Bova
This story originally appeared on Black Enterprise
Kanye West broke the internet with his "DONDA" album release last month, and now the 44-year-old billionaire is filing a "DONDA" name trademark for a line of tech products.
TMZ reported that Kanye West's company filed a trademark application for the name "DONDA" on Tuesday, September 21. The legal documents show that Kanye plans to step into the tech industry.
Donda West, Kanye West's mother, was the inspiration behind many of his career highlights. She died in 2007 after undergoing breast reduction surgery. Kanye has committed to keeping his mother's name alive through his creative projects.
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According to TMZ, the "Donda" name will be used for many electronic products. This includes surround sound systems, audio speakers, computers, tablets, and smartwatches. You may even see the coveted name on smart glasses and wearable devices. There's speculation that Kanye will follow Dr. Dre's lead and put the Donda name on headphones. This move made Dr. Dre's "Beats by Dre" a billion-dollar business in less than six years.
"You've got to be lucky enough to identify a problem where you think you can help," Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Beats, told INC. "When you believe in something, the last thing you say to yourself is, Well, no one's doing this, so there must be no good reason to do it."
Kanye has always had a knack for giving people what they need at the right time. That's why his music continues to top the music charts. This year, the Donda album became the second-biggest debut ever on the global Spotify chart. The album garnered nearly 100 million streams, according to Chart Data.
This trademark proves that Kanye is not slowing down anytime soon. He's expanding his impact while growing his net worth. According to Forbes, the music mogul has racked up an impressive net worth of $1.8 billion (as of October 3, 2021). Although many call Kanye a musical genius, it's his fashion ideas that have boosted his net worth.
Kanye's Yeezy shoes were an instant hit. Fans still line up to be first to showcase the latest Yeezy's. In March, Kanye released his Yeezy 450 in Cloud Whites. The shoes sold out in less than 60 seconds.
Related: Walmart Feuds With Kanye West Over Yeezy Logo, Claims It'll Lead to Confusion
Kanye's multi-year deal with Adidas has been very profitable. He inked a deal to design the Yeezy sneaker brand, which is reportedly worth $3.2 to $4.7 billion. Yeezy generated $1.7 billion in sales last year, Forbes reported.
With Kanye's record of success in music and fashion, there's no doubt that he can hit a home run in the tech industry.
