Around 11 percent of the American population practices yoga. For many of these individuals, wellness influencers are their go-to resource for health tips. One influencer on the rise – Cleo Vo-Dai – has gotten a lot of media attention recently. Unfortunately, she’s also found herself in a complex legal battle over a yoga trademark.

In a world where wellness influencers have net worths exceeding $100 million, branding is everything. This reality rests at the center of the intellectual property dispute recently filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). With claims of fraud against the government and eyebrow-raising filing dates, this could be one of the most interesting cases in recent memory.

Claims of Fraud Lead to Questionable Yoga Trademark Battle

On May 27, 2026, a trademark cancellation petition was filed with the USPTO by Cleo Vo-Dai Creative Consulting LLC. Miami-based yoga instructor Cleo Vo-Dai owns the company and is the founder of IMA Yoga – Miami Beach. The target of her filing is Helwig Labs LLC. This company is engaged in commerce under the name IMA Yoga Fitness. This name similarity is at heart of the dispute.

In the petition, Vo-Dai’s company claims that Helwig Labs committed fraud in its intellectual property filing. The company submitted its original application as an intent-to-use trademark. This means the company had not yet used its trademark in commerce, but it also had a bona fide intent to do so. No registration is approved until evidence of use is submitted.

Helwig Labs submitted such evidence and, in doing so, claimed the trademark was currently in use “with all of the goods/services” listed in its application. The trademark registration was granted. Cleo Vo-Dai’s petition requests cancellation of that trademark – because Helwig Labs used the word “all” in its filing. While this is somewhat strange, it’s nothing compared to the filing dates mentioned in the petition.

Cancellation of a Trademark Over One Word?

If you checked the Haute Living website back in December 2024, you would have seen the bold statement that “Cleo Vo-Dai is evolving the wellness scene in Miami.” At that time, it had been only three months since she rebranded her MODO Yoga studio as IMA Yoga. In the cancellation petition submitted to the USPTO, she uses this to claim priority over the yoga trademark.

However, she goes beyond claims of priority. Helwig Labs said it was using the name IMA Yoga Fitness in relation to all its products and services. The cancellation filing claims this is untrue. It states that the following items were not actively being sold under the trademark:

• Yoga blocks
• Yoga bolsters
• Fitness equipment, namely, straps used for yoga and other fitness activities and for carrying a yoga mat
• Gym balls for yoga

The filing goes on to state that Helwig Labs was only selling yoga straps and stretch bands when they claimed they were using the yoga trademark to sell “all” the goods/services mentioned in their application for trademark registration. Because of this alleged discrepancy, the filing requests that the entire trademark be cancelled.

What happens if this is granted? It would open the door for Cleo Vo-Dai Creative Consulting LLC to secure its own trademark over IMA Yoga. The company had filed its own applications, which the USPTO denied due to the preexisting application and registration from Helwig Labs. Vo-Dai’s brand is banking on claims of fraud derailing the IMA Yoga Fitness trademark.

The Problems With the Filing

The USPTO doesn’t take accusations of fraud lightly. There’s a high hurdle to clear for proving fraud in a trademark dispute. While overclaiming use of a trademark may be negligent and careless, it rarely rises to the level of fraud. More importantly, the allegedly mistaken use of the word “and” would likely only result in a partial cancellation at best.

This means the cancellation petition could result in the removal of trademark rights for the items that had not yet been commercially sold. However, even this isn’t a slam-dunk. It’s possible that Helwig Labs legitimately used their trademark in commerce with these items – just not very publicly. Of course, then there’s the question of timing.

Cleo Vo-Dai’s claimed first use of “IMA Yoga” was on September 16, 2024. The claimed first use of IMA Yoga Fitness by Helwig Labs was May 12, 2025. However, Helwig Labs submitted its application on September 4, 2024 – just 12 days before Cleo Vo-Dai’s brand says its IMA Yoga trademark was first used in commerce.

Two brands independently seeking trademark rights over the same term in such a short time span seems incredibly coincidental.

What Happens Now?

The case will now go before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). Helwig Labs has until July 26, 2026, to submit an answer to the cancellation petition. The company could lose its case if it fails to respond, but based on the facts of the case, there likely isn’t a reason to avoid this dispute.

Even ignoring the questionable dates of first-use claims almost immediately after an application was submitted, the date of the application offers some protection. While Helwig Labs received no yoga trademark rights upon filing, their application date serves as a constructive date of first use now that the registration is granted. This predates Cleo Vo-Dai’s alleged first use.

While this may all seem incredibly complicated, the law is relatively settled in such cases. There’s no way to predict the outcome of a case, but it’s likely that the yoga trademark of Helwig Labs will persist, even if it applies to fewer products than before. Still, the case will be fascinating to follow in case it unearths additional information regarding the interesting filing dates.