VeryDarkMan (VDM) has announced that he has completed the registration of the name “Ratel” across all 45 trademark categories in Nigeria, following a public ownership dispute with businessman Blord over the brand.
VDM made the announcement on Wednesday in a lengthy statement posted online, where he insisted that the controversy forced him to take steps he had previously overlooked. “Initially, I registered only two trademark classes,” he said. “I didn’t know before that I needed to register everything. When this matter happened, I realised my mistake, and as of yesterday, the remaining classes were registered.”
Nigeria recognises 45 trademark classes under the international classification system, covering both goods and services. Referring to this framework, VDM said, “Trademark has 45 classes. As of now, all the classes belong to me. Everything now belongs to me.” He added that the registration process had already been completed and reflected in official records.
Beyond trademarks, VDM also claimed ownership of a registered company under the name Ratel Nigeria Limited, which he said further strengthened his position. “I have a company called Ratel Nigeria Limited,” he stated. “If I have that company name, nobody can register Ratel again as a company name. That is how it works.” According to him, the company was registered long before the current dispute, even though it had not been actively used for business.
The dispute was triggered after Blord publicly claimed ownership of the Ratel name and unveiled an app bearing the brand, while also disclosing that legal steps had been taken to restrict its use. Reacting to that claim, VDM dismissed the idea that the name could be taken from him, saying, “People only knew Ratel as a movement. They didn’t know it as a business name, but the name has always been there.”
VDM argued that the controversy itself boosted the commercial value of the brand. “Yesterday alone, I collected ₦300 million,” he claimed. “This whole matter made me ₦300 million richer than I was before.” He said the funds came from investors who now saw Ratel as a viable business identity, adding, “This problem just rebranded my life.”
He also accused critics and rival supporters of promoting the brand unintentionally. “In the bid to shame me, they started printing polo, writing Ratel everywhere,” he said. “Not knowing that they were advertising for me. As of now, because I own the trademark and the company name, they are all my boys.”
Addressing claims that the issue had taken on ethnic or regional undertones, VDM rejected that narrative outright. “I am an Igbo man when I’m an Igbo man. I am a Yoruba man when I want to be. I am a Hausa man when I want to be,” he said. “I don’t look at tribe before I help people. Tribalism on me will not work.”
On the issue of the Ratel-branded app at the centre of the dispute, VDM claimed that his trademark position gives him leverage over any commercial use of the name. “You cannot use my company name to do business or open an app without telling me,” he said. “All the money made with my name belongs to me.” He added that he could pursue takedown actions but had chosen not to, stating, “I will not even bother, because the app will naturally fail.”
VDM repeatedly returned to the idea that the dispute validated the strength of the brand. “What this person did was to show Nigerians that Ratel is a bankable name,” he said. “Anything Ratel can sell. That is what they have shown the country.” According to him, new proposals have continued to emerge since the controversy broke.
He cited one such proposal involving a logistics business. “Someone called me and said he wants to use Ratel for logistics, with 1,000 bikes in Abuja, 1,000 in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Delta,” VDM said. “He said I don’t need to do anything, just let my name be there.” VDM said he insisted on strict consumer protection rules before considering the deal. “If a customer complains, you will refund. You will compensate. That is my condition,” he said.
Throughout his statement, VDM portrayed the trademark dispute as both a legal and symbolic battle. “Ratel is not just a name,” he said. “It is trust. It is integrity. People believe in it.” He also claimed that the dispute had expanded the brand’s reach into new regions, saying, “They have already introduced the brand everywhere. Now they cannot come back to say don’t support it again.”
Blord has not publicly responded to VDM’s latest claims regarding the completion of all trademark registrations, but earlier statements indicated that he was prepared to defend what he described as his intellectual property through legal channels. Any formal resolution would depend on regulatory records, filing dates and possible court actions.
For now, VDM maintains that the matter has already worked in his favour. “This issue gave me more than I expected,” he said. “Now I will give people Ratel to do business, but on my terms.” As the dispute continues to draw attention, it has highlighted the growing importance of trademark protection in Nigeria’s digital and influencer-driven economy.
Read Also: FCMB Meets ₦200bn Capital Requirement
