Nicolas Loufrani
Nicolas Loufrani (born 17 December 1971 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is the CEO of Smiley, the company that owns the trademark and copyrights for the Smiley logo and name in over 100 countries.[1]
Smiley Company
In 1996, Nicolas Loufrani and his father Franklin Loufrani established the Smiley licensing company in London, reclaiming all preexisting rights related to the Smiley logo that Franklin Loufrani had retained since 1971.[2][3]
Brand development
Loufrani expanded the brand’s registrations and closely linked the logo and name, creating a unified identity for labels, packaging, catalogs, and similar applications. He built a global network of licensees and supported them with a comprehensive brand strategy, aiming to position Smiley alongside iconic logos such as Nike’s Swoosh or Lacoste’s crocodile.[4]
Graphic emoticons
In 1997, noticing the rise of ASCII emoticons in mobile technology, Loufrani began creating animated Smiley icons corresponding to existing text-based emoticons. He compiled these into an online emoticon dictionary covering categories like classics, humor, flags, special occasions, sports, weather, animals, food, professions, and more. These designs were first registered in 1997 with the US Copyright Office and published as .gif files on the Internet in 1998, becoming the first graphical emoticons used in digital communications.[5][6]
In 2000, SMILEYDICTIONARY.COM launched online, offering over 1,000 downloadable Smiley emoticons. A printed version, Dico Smileys, was released in 2002 by Marabout.[7]
In 2001, Smiley began licensing its graphic emoticons to major mobile companies including Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, SFR, and Sky Telemedia, allowing users to download them onto their phones.
Legal dispute with Wal-Mart
In 2001, Smiley Company engaged in a legal battle in the United States with Wal-Mart over the original Smiley figurative mark. The dispute did not involve Nicolas Loufrani’s graphic emoticons or the Smiley name. The parties settled in 2010 under confidential terms in a federal court in Chicago.[8]
SmileyWorld Association
In 2005, the Loufranis founded the SmileyWorld Association, dedicating a portion of Smiley licensing revenues to global social and charitable projects.[9]
Collaborations and retail
Loufrani has collaborated with fashion designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ora-Ïto, and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, and Smiley products have appeared in speciality stores like Colette in Paris, Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Henry Bendel in New York, and Stierblut in Munich.[10]
In December 2011, the first Smiley specialty store opened in London.[11]
Financial ranking
Smiley Company ranks among the world’s top 100 licensing firms and reported revenues of USD 167 million in 2012.[12]
References
- ↑ Copia archivada, Capital, accessed 12 November 2015.
- ↑ Forbes article, 2006.
- ↑ New York Times, 2006.
- ↑ Copia archivada, Challenges magazine, accessed 12 November 2015.
- ↑ Le Figaro article, 2010.
- ↑ Copia archivada, Interview.de, accessed 12 November 2015.
- ↑ Amazon listing, 2002.
- ↑ Copia archivada, Libération, accessed 12 November 2015.
- ↑ Copia archivada, Fusion Consulting, accessed 12 November 2015.
- ↑ Copia archivada, Glamour.de, accessed 12 November 2015.
- ↑ Copia archivada, Made in Shoreditch, accessed 14 March 2013.
- ↑ License Global Top 125 report, 2011.