Celebrities are always the interesting bunch wanting fans to think they are one of them, and then quickly working hard to make more money by trademarking the things that were usually created by the fans in the first place. Tim Tebow, Beyonce and Donald Trump are just a few of the top celebrities who’ve tried to trademark the intangible.
Recently, Tim Tebow (somehow) trademarked “tebowing”. He’s not the first celebrity to officially patent a phrase that was created and popularized by their fans. Interestingly, many of these celebrities will always talk about just being another regular person… Meet several other of these ‘regular people’ who are working to profit every way possible off their fans.
PARIS HILTON
Paris Hilton can be called a lot of things, but I bet you didn’t think one of them was “savvy businesswoman”. The talentless heiress trademarked her catchphrase “That’s hot” back in 2007. A lawsuit soon ensued with Hallmark in 2009 after it was discovered that they had used the phrase on a card.
RYAN LOCHTE
Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte patented his now-famous catchphrase, “Jeah.” Lochte intends to use the term in various endorsements. Where did he get the idea? Ryan was inspired by Young Jeezy, a rapper who uses the phrase “Chea” in many of his songs.
DONALD TRUMP
Donald Trump normally gets whatever he wants. Such was not the case when his attempt to trademark his phrase, “You’re fired” in 2004 following the success of “The Apprentice.” Trump intended to use the slogan on clothes and casino services. He was eventually denied. It was a HUUUUUGGEEE disappointment.
RACHEL ZOE
Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe managed to trademark a fruit! That’s right. Zoe officially trademarked “Bananas” and the phrase, “I die.” Both of which were popular statements throughout her reality show.
CHARLIE SHEEN
Epic meltdown artist, Charlie Sheen, attempted to trademark over 20 different phrases, including the infamous “Duh, winning.” The unstable thespian also filled out applications to secure the rights to many other catchphrases. Such as: “Adonis DNA,” “Tiger Blood,” and “Violent Torpedo of Truth.”
BEYONCE AND JAY-Z
Beyoncé and Jay-Z did the legal paperwork to trademark their daughter’s name, Blue Ivy, for use on a line of baby products. Though they were the victors in the end, fashion designerJoseph Mbeh tried to trademark “Blue Ivy Carter NYC” days after the infant’s birth. Another person filed for “Blue Ivy Carter Glory IV” just a few days after. Fortunately for Bey & Jay, both attempts were denied.
MICHAEL BUFFER
Everyone knows Michael Buffer’s catchphrase. He’s the man behind the epic, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” This single phrase alone has netted him $400 million. Also appearing in 20 plus movies, Buffer sold the rights of the phrase for use in a plethora of endorsements.
JEREMY LIN
NBA phenom, Jeremy Lin, gained immediate fame last year, causing all sorts of “Linsanity” in New York with his stellar play. The athlete opted to trademark “Linsanity” so he could profit off it in endorsements.
TREY SONGZ
Rapper Trey Songz and “Storage Wars” star Dave Hester are in the midst of a gnarly legal battle over the phrase “Yuuup!” Songz was furious that Hester was granted the right to trademark the phrase, claiming he has been using “Yuuup!” in his songs since 2009. The battle over “Yuuup” still rages on.
EMERIL LAGASSE
Boisterous celebrity cook, Emeril Lagasse, was intelligent enough to patent his signature, “Bam!” He’s used the popular phrase on cookbooks, clothing and other products.
JERSEY SHORE CAST MEMBERS
A few “Jersey Shore” stars took advantage of their 15 minutes of fame:
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s tried to patent her name, but was rejected on the basis that a cartoon about a cat called “Snooky” was already trademarked.
Paul Delvecchio, Jr., aka “DJ Pauly D,” was denied because there is already a patent for a man called DJ Paulie.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s attempt to trademark was thrown out due to a line of shoes bearing the same name.
LMFAO
Four years ago, party-anthem music group, LMFAO (Stefan Kendal Gordy and Skyler Austen Gordy) were denied the opportunity to trademark their group name because it “consists of or comprises immoral, deceptive or scandalous matter.” The group responded by claiming that the acronym actually stands for “Laughing My Freaking Ass Off,” not the more vulgar option.
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