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A battle over bling has put a North Potomac couple in the middle of a trademark case with one of the most famous rappers in the world.
Mike Cayelli, along with wife Jill, started Cuff-Daddy about five years ago after searching for a home business that would allow Mike to leave his job as a regional manager for Home Depot. They tossed around ideas that included eyeglass repair kits, curtain finials and collar stays, but Mike Cayelli said he hit on cuff links after seeing a coworker wearing them.
The couple started the business with $500, investing in 20 pairs each of five styles of cuff links from a company in China. After posting that inventory on eBay and getting a six times return on their investment, the pair poured their $3,000 profit back into the business.
With 50 styles of cuff links, the Cayellis launched a Web site, www.Cuff-Daddy.com, and got listed as seller on Amazon.com.
They named the company Cuff-Daddy after Mike Cayelli's graduate school nickname, King Daddy.
"It was kind of a joke to call our company Cuff-Daddy, but it sounded good," Mike Cayelli said.
When the couple tried to trademark the name Cuff-Daddy last year, music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs who was once known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Sean "Puffy" Combs, filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.
"We weren't freaking out at first because we thought it was just a confusingly similar name," Jill Cayelli said.
But the story of the trademark case hit the press and appeared in thousands of articles in media outlets and blogs around the world, according to a Google search.
"The press was making it out that [Combs] was being sinister but the truth was that his attorney was just trying to protect his rights," Mike Cayelli said.
Reporters from gossip Web site and television show TMZ, the BBC and other entertainment sites hounded the Cayellis who refused to comment on the case.
"We thought about contacting [Combs] directly but never did," Jill Cayelli said.
Robert A. Becker, the attorney representing Combs, argues against Cuff-Daddy's trademark because it would falsely suggest that Combs endorses or sponsors the products, would likely deceive consumers and would "cause dilution of the distinctive quality of the famous Puff Daddy mark," according to the notice of opposition filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
"Applicant's Cuff-Daddy mark differs from Opposer's Puff Daddy mark by one letter and the sound of one consonant," the notice states.
Although the issue is not resolved, the two sides are working on a settlement that would give Combs rights to the trademark "Cuff-Daddy", but allow the Cayellis to sell their cuff links under the name. Combs would not own any rights to the Cayellis' company.
"We're OK with that arrangement," Mike Cayelli said.
A representative for Combs did not return e-mails for comment by The Gazette's Tuesday deadline.
Meanwhile, the Cayellis have moved their cuff link business from their kitchen table to their basement where they now employ two part-time workers to fill the 50 orders daily that come into the company. During the holiday season, Cuff-Daddy fills nearly 200 orders a day.
The Cayellis are banking on men who want to show off their favorite sports team, superhero or hobby on their sleeves. The company has cuff links with Homer Simpson, a roulette wheel and even a miniature soccer field with a silver ball that rolls into the goal. Their most popular sellers are silver Superman cuff links and matching pendant, but there are about 1,000 variations of cuff links offered. They cost between $10 and $30 a pair.
Cuff-Daddy also sells necklace pendants, money clips and jewelry boxes.
The Cayellis say they get orders from all over the world. Mike Cayelli spends most of his day not in a suit, cuff links and tie, but in sneakers, jeans and a T-shirt. Jill Cayelli splits her time between caring for their two young sons and taking care of the business.
"This was something I just had to try. If I didn't go for it, I would be mad at myself for the rest of my life. Looking at what it is like today, whose job is really secure anymore?" Mike Cayelli said.
