James Bond will not die under my watch, says Dubai-based Austrian businessman

The businessman challenging the ownership of the rights to the 007 name has promised fans that “James Bond will not die on my watch”.

It was reported last week that Dubai-based Austrian businessman Josef Kleindienst has filed several claims challenging owners of the multibillion-pound spy franchise over trademark non-use, which could see the character stripped of his catchphrase: “The name’s Bond, James Bond.”

The property developer is the founder of the Kleindienst Group, which is currently building a $5 billion luxury resort called the Heart of Europe on human-made islands off the coast of Dubai.

Under UK and EU law, “cancellation actions based on non-use” mean that if a name is trademarked against several goods and services but the owner does not commercially exploit it for at least five years, then a challenge to remove ownership of the name can be made.

Concerns about future of the franchise

The franchise has gone silent in recent years – Daniel Craig announced his retirement as James Bond in November 2019, two years before the release of the most recent film, 2021’s No Time To Die.

With no formal plans in place for the next film, this gap could beat the record for the franchise’s longest break between instalments, which currently stands at six years and four months for the wait between 1989’s License to Kill and 1995’s Goldeneye.

Kleindienst has attempted to reassure fans that his motivations are rooted in his concerns about the future of the franchise, and said he is “disappointed” with how it is currently being treated.

He told The Guardian: “We and many, many more fans are disappointed to see and understand how James Bond is being treated. Our concern is certainly to ensure that the James Bond as we know him stays alive and that there are further experiences with him. We have decided to invest and support, letting today’s fans and future generations enjoy James Bond.”

The rights are being challenged across the variation of the franchise’s monikers, including James Bond Special Agent 007, James Bond 007, James Bond, James Bond: World of Espionage and the famous “Bond, James Bond” line.

The James Bond trademarks are officially registered to US-based company Danjaq, which owns and controls the rights to global James Bond merchandising, alongside Eon. 

Eon is the UK-based production company run by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson that’s been behind some of the franchise’s most successful films, including Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace and Skyfall.

However, experts believe that a rights challenge in this area will likely fail given Eon’s history with the franchise and relationship with long-standing film producers.

The news comes as producers continue their ongoing search for Daniel Craig’s replacement to play 007 in the next film. The Fall Guy actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was first rumoured for the role in January 2023 after it was reported that producer Barbara Broccoli had been left impressed by a screen test with the actor, whose credits include Kick-Ass, Bullet Train and Nowhere Boy.

The Independent