Today, you can trademark colors, phrases, specific words, and even sounds! Trademarks are everywhere, and owners take them seriously. In order to avoid a lawsuit, CatchScan is here to tell you about a few interesting trademarks.
What does a trademark actually mean?
In legal terms, a trademark is an intellectual property that someone has protected for a specific purpose. It can be done by an individual, a business, or any legal entity that wants to save a source of something. Generally, trademarks are logos, slogans, products, or services, but we’re bringing you some of the unique ones!
Let’s check those trademarks!
“This sick beat” by Taylor Swift
Behold DJs and producers! You might be making some sick beats, but make sure Taylor Swift doesn’t know about that. Among many of her trademarks, Taylor has protected the phrase from her popular song “Shake it off”. Unfortunately, the owner of one Etsy store found that out the hard way. As her fan, she created a shirt with the trademarked phrase and ended up receiving the trademark infringement e-mail from Taylor’s lawyers. Whoops!
“Usain Bolt pose”
Usain Bolt is named the fastest man on the planet. As a former athlete, now a businessman and social media influencer, he made the wise decision to protect his famous pose. Aside from that, he protected his name, signature, slogan, and even initials! Definitely, he protected his income with careful brand management!
“That’s hot” by Paris Hilton
If you ever watched “The Simple Life” in the ’00s, you heard this popular phrase a lot of times. Thankfully, Paris trademarked “That’s hot” which certainly paid off in terms of money and brand protection. Now, all merchandise, clothing, and gifts that contain this phrase must pay Paris her piece!
The word “Superhero” by Marvel Comics & DC Comics
Who would think that two longtime rivals would agree on one thing – trademarking the word “Superhero”. Both companies realized how valuable it is to protect this word, which is why they agreed on a co-ownership! You might be crazy about superhero comics, but be careful if you decide to write one and use this term!
The picture of the Eiffel Tower at night
Snapping and selling the perfect photo in Paris might not be so easy. The Eiffel Tower is a part of the public domain and an impressive piece during the day, however, during the night it becomes a copyrighted one. Because of the stunning artwork, which lights create at night, taking a photo and selling it might get you sued.
Bubble Wrap made by The Sealed Air
Did you know that the founders of Bubble Wrap originally wanted to sell their product as a 3D wallpaper? Unfortunately, that wasn’t a big hit, so they convinced IBM to start using the Bubble Wrap as a protection for their computers during shipping. IBM agreed, which made the product so popular they had to trademark the name! The rest is history.
Zippo’s click sound
If you’ve got a Zippo lighter, you probably know what a pleasure it is to flick the lid. Exactly that is the sound that Zippo decided to trademark in 2018. The sound is so iconic that you were able to catch it in more than 2000 movies, music videos, and even during festivals! We must agree that such ASMR content is on fire!
50 Cent’s name
It is not unusual for famous people to trademark their name, but what really triggered 50 Cent was actually Taco Bell. In 2008, Taco Bell used the rapper’s name in their new campaign, which led 50 Cent to sue the fast-food chain. As a response to the lawsuit, Taco Bell made a cheeky suggestion saying that he should consider changing his name to 79, 89, or 99 cents in exchange for a donation to a charity of his choice.
Post-it yellow
Close your eyes and imagine a pack of Post-its laying on your office table – what color are they? Canary yellow, of course! The manufacturer 3M recognized how special this color is and decided to trademark the specific shade. Obviously, there are other yellow post-its out there, it’s just a different shade.
Darth Vader’s breathing sound
Haahhhhh, kerrrrrrrr, haaahhhhh, kerrrrrrrrr… You’re feeling the chills, aren’t you?
You are probably not surprised about this one. Lucasfilm trademarked one of the most iconic breathing sounds through a scuba tank, making sure it stays protected. Unfortunately, if you plan on using this sound when making your new toy, you might expect a letter from them.
Get advice on trademarks or copyrights and avoid getting sued!
Understanding different rules about trademarks might seem complicated, but we are here to help.
We always recommend contacting us if you have any questions about trademarks or copyrights. Our legal team will gladly answer your concerns and help you avoid potential lawsuits.
If you are a content creator worried about someone stealing your images, contact us and we’ll immediately start your case!
