Warner Brothers files for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child trademark

We have been cautioned repeatedly that the upcoming play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be just that - a play, and nothing else.

However, due to the digging of intellectual property solicitor Brian Conroy, it has recently come to light that Warner Brothers Studios has just trademarked The Cursed Child for any future movies that may come after the play.

"I trawl through all the applications filed in the Irish, UK and EU trademark offices every day, and every so often you strike gold," Conroy told Hot Press.

"Honestly, it's just being a law nerd and trademark and intellectual property nut... I'm not doing it to try and find these stories, I'm doing it to keep an eye on what's being registered and who is doing what, but you stumble across these newsworthy ones from time to time."

Conroy works with Rennick Solicitors in Dublin, Ireland, and he is constantly updating his blog with the interesting things he finds while browsing various trademark offices.

Author J.K. Rowling has been doing the same thing as Warner Bros since last year, but her Cursed Child trademarks may have more to do with merchandise than anything else. She has also been steadily denying any rumours of a possible Cursed Child movie.

You heard wrong, I'm afraid. #CursedChild is a play. #FantasticBeasts will be 3 movies, though! https://t.co/7tvw4rolcR

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 29, 2016

The fact that Warner Bros has filed for a Class 9 trademark is significant, though, and should not be ignored.

"Why would Warner Brothers, who last I checked had nothing to do with plays, apply to register the trademark? Apart from anything else, they can’t really apply for a trademark for something they have no rights in," Conroy wrote on his blog.

It does seem unlikely that the production company would secure this specific trademark without Rowling's consent, so she most likely knows about the application and approves.

What this could mean for the future of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is still a question up for debate, but it cannot be denied that Warner Brothers is seriously considering the option of making a movie out of the play one day.