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Originally from the tech sector, Ms. Yardley trademarked her distinctive first name early on in her art career as a way of branding her work and boosting sales.

“Nobody goes through a museum or gallery without exiting the gift shop — and there’s a reason for that — so I felt it was really important to me to be able to brand wares and services,” she said.

Under her trademark registration, finalized in 2009, the artist holds the exclusive Canadian rights to put “Carollyne” on everything from coffee cups to books to dolls.

A quick glance through her website, Carollyne.com, reveals near-ubiquitous use of the word.

Ms. Yardley signs each painting with “Carollyne” and attaches prominent “Carollyne” logos to a selection of books, greeting cards, bookmarks and figurines available for sale.

When the woman first got word of Mattel’s trademark dispute in February 2013, she tried to broker a “co-existence agreement” with the toymaker. She pulled out after the company refused to guarantee she would be shielded from future challenges.

“I couldn’t bother them, but they could bother me,” she said.

On Monday, Julie Parks, an American Girl spokeswoman, said in a statement to the Post the company does not comment on pending legal matters.

“However, I can say that the issue is under administrative review at the Canadian Trademark Office and we look forward to a favourable resolution.”

Caroline, introduced in 2012, is part of the “Historical Characters” series of American Girl dolls.

According to an accompanying book series, she is the daughter of a New York state shipbuilder who sees her village attacked by British troops at the onset of the War of 1812.

In a Monday blog post, Ms. Yardley noted the ironic parallel between the trials of the fictional Caroline and her own encounters with a powerful cross-border challenger.

“We have a large American corporation trying to cancel my Canadian trade-mark registration for CAROLLYNE because it interferes with its application for CAROLINE,” she wrote.