Wagatha Christie™? My pun’s been trademarked, but the joke is on me | Dan Atkinson

Rebekah Vardy has made my Wagatha Christie' joke, from her case against Coleen Rooney, into intellectual property. If gags are bought up, British humour faces a bleak future

Three years, six months and 13 days ago, I tweeted the words Coleen Rooney: Agatha Christie". Well, that's not quite what I tweeted. I inserted a W" before the Agatha, creating a disposable pun that somehow went viral. To my bemusement the joke was emblazoned across countless headlines worldwide. You may be wondering why have I introduced my famous pun in such a tortured fashion. Well, I'm trying to avoid getting sued.

This week the world discovered that Rebekah Vardy has trademarked the phrase-who-shall-not-be-named, meaning that she can make money from using W****** C******* as a brand or unleash cash-thirsty lawyers on anyone else who dares use it.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk