Royal Caribbean Trademarks Face Masks Amid Corona Fears On Cruises

Royal Caribbean Trademarks Face Masks

Face masks have become a necessary piece of attire for many people around the country.  Local and state governments have ordered people to wear masks to public locations.  The CDC recommends wearing a mask, mostly to prevent asymptomatic people from spreading the virus to others.  After a series of outbreaks on cruises, Royal Caribbean filed for a trademark on face masks in an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO).

According to the application filed on the USTPO, Royal Caribbean submitted the trademark request on April 8, 2020.  Under the description for the application it says, “Sanitary masks for virus isolation purposes.”  There are no other details on the application that provide insight into what exactly the product will be.  It’s unclear what the Seaface will even look like or what it entails.

I reached out to Royal Caribbean to see whether they can elaborate further on the trademark.  I also inquired whether the cruise line is considering mandatory face coverings.  They did not get back to me, but I’ll be sure to update the story when they do.

It is not yet known if the future of cruising will require the use of a sanitary face mask while on board.  Some airlines already implemented a requirement to wear a face mask while on the aircraft.  It’s very possible cruise lines will require the same when cruises get up and running again.

There is also a possibility that Royal Caribbean is just going to sell the product.  They could be looking at something to sell on their ships now that people are accustom to wearing sanitary face masks.  It also might provide psychological assurance to people and feel as though they re protected.

Bottom Line

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about what this means, but it may mean face masks are going to be a major part of future cruising.  The cruise industry’s impact is great and cruise lines are struggling as they completely shut down sailings around the world.  Perhaps this is one of the ways cruise lines will aim to attract people to cruising.  Cruise lines have faced a substantial level of negative press.  That’s because cruises are seen as a sort of petri dish of infection for viruses like COVID-19.  This may be one way cruises will look to instill confidence in passengers.

Would you cruise with a face mask?  Would such a requirement prevent you from booking a cruise?