5 days ago
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Dr. Michelle Gill built Get With the Fix Radio (GWTF Radio), as a digital hub to connect Caribbean and American audiences. But years later, what began as a cultural project turned into a legal battle over ownership.
“Somebody was actually trying to steal my entire brand,” Dr. Gill said in an exclusive interview with World Music Views. “And I couldn’t let that happen.”
Gill, who is Guyanese-born, launched the station envisioning it as both a personal outlet and a collective stage.
“I created the radio station for my voice,” she said, “and to also have other Caribbean DJs have a voice for themselves as well.”
A trademark lost — and nearly claimed
Gill initially began trademarking her brand in 2018. But by 2021, the filing had been unknowingly abandoned, a lapse that would later prove critical.
In early 2025, she began receiving persistent calls.
“Every week I would get a phone call… saying someone was trying to take it,” she recalled.
The situation escalated when another party attempted to claim the name. Without an active trademark in place, the brand she had built was suddenly vulnerable.
“That’s when I realized how big of a deal it was,” she said. “The calls just never stopped.”
Restarting the process
On February 21, 2025, Gill filed a new trademark application in the United States, effectively starting from scratch.
Because her original application had lapsed, she was required to submit an entirely new filing. Navigating the system without legal representation initially proved difficult.
“If you don’t have an attorney, they won’t tell you exactly what you need to do,” she said. “They speak attorney to attorney.”
Eventually, with guidance, she was able to position the brand correctly in category 35— identifying it within advertising and media services — allowing the application to move forward.
A year of uncertainty
Trademark registration is not immediate. After filing, applications undergo examination and are then published publicly, a stage where third parties can challenge the claim.
That period was defined by anxiety.
“The entire year,” she said. “Even up to the end,” she felt anxiety about the work she has built.
The mark was published, opening a window for opposition. Aware that others had already shown interest in the name, Gill chose to remain silent publicly during this phase.
“I didn’t say anything to anyone,” she said. “Because I knew people were coming for it.”
On March 31, 2026, the trademark was officially registered in the United States.
“I looked, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s registered,’” Gill said with relief.
The registration secures Get With the Fix Radio legally within the U.S., though Gill acknowledges that broader protection is still ahead.
“The mistake I made is not registering it in the Caribbean and globally,” she said. “That’s the next step.”
Gill declined to name any individuals or entities she believes may have tried to claim her brand.
“I have a few ideas,” she said, “but I don’t want to call anybody’s name.”
For Gill, the experience has reframed her understanding of what she built.
“At that moment, I realized how big of a deal it is,” she said.
English (US) ·