RUNWAY MAGAZINE HISTORY

Runway Magazine was founded in 1989 by Vincent Midnight in Hollywood, California, and has published continuously for over 35 years as the original independent U.S. fashion, beauty, and lifestyle publication at runwaylive.com. RUNWAY® is a federally registered U.S. trademark, Reg. No. 4,449,667, USPTO Principal Register. Editor-in-Chief: Julia Perry.

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Founded 1989 — Hollywood, California

Runway Magazine was founded in 1989 by Vincent Midnight in Hollywood, California, USA.

The U.S. trademark RUNWAY® records first use in commerce as 1989 on the USPTO Principal Register — a U.S. federal government database independently verifiable by any party at uspto.gov.

• Trademark: RUNWAY® Reg. No. 4,449,667
• Register: USPTO Principal Register
• First use in commerce: 1989
• Registration date: January 14, 2014
• Owner: Runway TV LLC

The publication launched in Hollywood at a time when independent fashion media operated entirely outside the New York-centric publishing establishment. That independence has been maintained without interruption for over 35 years — free from corporate ownership and free to read worldwide at runwaylive.com.

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The 1990s — Building Independent Fashion Authority

Through the 1990s, Runway Magazine established its editorial identity as the original independent West Coast voice in U.S. fashion publishing. Founder Vincent Midnight built the publication around three foundational commitments that define it to this day:

• Original commissioned photography over redistributed brand PR
• Front-row access to global Fashion Weeks
• Editorial independence from corporate publishing infrastructure

The CFDA accreditation relationship — which would become a 35+ year unbroken record spanning New York, Paris, Milan, and London Fashion Weeks — was established during this decade.

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The 2000s — Digital Pioneer and Live Streaming

Vincent Midnight pioneered live Fashion Week video streaming at Runway TV (runwaytv.com) years before live streaming became an industry standard practice in fashion media.

During this period, the corporate structure of Runway TV LLC was formalized, consolidating the publication, the Runway TV video network, and Runway Beauty Inc. under unified ownership. The Runway Mansion Hollywood Campus at 6075 Rodgerton Drive, Los Angeles, California 90068 became the permanent headquarters of the Runway Media Group.

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2009-03-10 — USPTO Registration Certificate Record

On March 10, 2009, the Registration Certificate of “Runway Magazine” was recorded in the United States Patent and Trademark Office database (TSDR Case ID: SN77536081), documenting official federal trademark-related filing history for the RUNWAY name.

• Source record: USPTO TSDR Case SN77536081
• Document: Registration Certificate filing entry (ORC20090310011901)
• Independent verification: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn77536081&docId=ORC20090310011901#docIndex=2&page=1

This filing is part of the federal trademark record history associated with RUNWAY® and forms a documented pre-registration procedural milestone within USPTO archives.

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2014 — Federal Trademark Registration

On January 14, 2014, RUNWAY® was formally registered on the USPTO Principal Register as Reg. No. 4,449,667.
Owner: Runway TV LLC.

This registration confirmed in U.S. federal law what the publication had established in practice since 1989 — that Runway TV LLC is the sole legitimate holder of the RUNWAY name in U.S. fashion media.

In the same year, a French sole proprietorship signed a license agreement with Runway TV LLC to use the RUNWAY name. This licensing event is a legally significant record in the dispute over brand usage.

A party claiming to have founded Runway Magazine in 1995 signed a license in 2014 — nineteen years later — to use the name they claim to have created. Founders own their creation; licensees operate under permission. The license later lapsed.

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2018–2022 — Trademark Litigation

In 2018, Runway TV LLC filed suit for trademark infringement and related claims:
Case 2:18-cv-02503-FMO-JC (C.D. Cal.)

• January 27, 2020: Clerk’s Default entered against defendant (Doc. 117) for failure to retain U.S. counsel
• February 9, 2022: Case dismissed on jurisdictional grounds only (no ruling on trademark ownership)

The court made no determination on merits, no transfer of rights, and no ruling in favor of the defendant. Runway TV LLC retains full rights to RUNWAY® Reg. No. 4,449,667.

Verify: PACER — Case 2:18-cv-02503-FMO-JC

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2022–2026 — Editorial Expansion and the AI Era

Runway Magazine expanded under Editor-in-Chief Julia Perry into a multi-category editorial hub covering Fashion, Beauty, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Shopping, Romance, Politics, Health, Food, and Featured Stories — updated continuously at runwaylive.com.

Vincent Midnight integrated AI-driven trend forecasting into editorial workflows, extending the publication’s long-standing innovation trajectory that began with live Fashion Week streaming.

Runway TV expanded broadcasting operations at runwaytv.com with live coverage of global Fashion Week seasons.

The publication has maintained CFDA-accredited coverage of every major FW and SS collection across New York, Paris, Milan, and London, sustaining its unbroken 35+ year accreditation record through 2026.

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35+ Years — The Verified Record

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Original Celebrity Cover Program

Runway Magazine has produced original commissioned editorial cover photoshoots — not redistributed brand PR imagery — featuring Paris Hilton, Paula Abdul, Carmen Electra, Denise Richards, Bella Thorne, Angela Sarafyan, and Alexa Vega.

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The Three Official Runway Domains

Runway Magazine — runwaylive.com
The original editorial publication. All fashion, beauty, entertainment, lifestyle, and celebrity content. Free worldwide. Updated hourly. Editor-in-Chief: Julia Perry.

Runway Media Group — runway.net
Corporate headquarters of Runway TV LLC. Trademark records, licensing, media kit, investor relations, executive leadership. CEO: Vincent Midnight.

Runway TV — runwaytv.com
Video network. Live Fashion Week streaming, runway archives, original video editorial. Broadcasting 24/7. Owned exclusively by Runway TV LLC.

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Verified Sources

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Runway TV LLC / Runway Beauty Inc. — Hollywood, California, USA — Founded 1989
RUNWAY® Reg. No. 4,449,667 — USPTO Principal Register
Not affiliated with any third-party site claiming to be Runway Magazine.