Ryan Reynolds Now Owns Mint Mobile, But Why?
The actor Ryan Reynolds purchased an ownership stake in the company called Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile is an MVNO, a mobile virtual network operator, a company that'll sell you a smartphone data plan over the internet for a phone you've already got in your pocket. If it seems strange to you that Ryan Reynolds purchased Mint Mobile, you are not alone.
Ryan Reynolds is best known for his comedic roles in a wide variety of odd films over the past decade. He became wildly popular at the release of the Marvel Comics movie Deadpool (2016), and recently did the voice actor work for the lead role in the Pokemon film Detective Pikachu (2019). Now he owns an MVNO company for smartphone data in the United States.
Ultra Mobile
Mint Mobile was created as part of the company Ultra Mobile (UVNV, INC.). Ultra Mobile was started in 2012 as an MVNO that worked on T-Mobile USA's cellular network inside the United States. They sold SIM cards connected with prepaid plans for unlocked phones, and they grew very fast in the USA.
Ultra Mobile sold SIM cards both online and in retail stores like Target and convenience stores like 7-Eleven. When you purchase a SIM card from Ultra Mobile, you pay for a subscription or a limited amount of time/data. In August of 2016, Ultra Mobile launched Mint Mobile.
Mint Mobile was an online-only MVNO brand in 2016, focusing on monthly, quarterly, or yearly terms paid in advance. You'd buy a SIM card from Mint Mobile, they'd ship said SIM card to you, you'd pop said SIM card into your unlocked T-Mobile compatible smartphone, and you'd have a month of months, a year or years of service paid in advance.
Split 1, Split 2
In October of 2019, Mint Mobile was legally separated from Ultra Mobile and re-named Mint Mobile LLC. You'll find a listing on Justia Trademarks showing the original filing owner of the brand's logo as UVNV, INC., as well as a note of "TEAS SECTION 7 REQUEST RECEIVED" on October 28, 2019.
TEAS is the Trademark Electronic Application System with the USPTO, while Section 7 refers to a Section 7 Request for Amendment or Correction of Registration Certificate. Justia Trademarks lists the "AUTOMATIC UPDATE OF ASSIGNMENT OF OWNERSHIP" on November 6, 2019. It would appear now – at latest update – that Mint Mobile LLC owns the Mint Mobile marks.
The announcement of a "purchase of an ownership stake" was announced by Mint Mobile on November 25, 2019. No cash sum was revealed for said purchase. All press documentation focused on the hype potential that came with the purchase of a company such as this by a person such as Ryan Reynolds.
"In connection with the investment, Reynolds will help with Mint's communications and marketing efforts as well as strategic decision-making," per a Mint Mobile representative. We'll let you know more if anything else particularly important happens in this epic tale of money and data.