While everybody knows that businesses must trademark slogans, logos, product names, and more, what about celebrities’ trademarked famous catchphrases? The word “catchphrase” translates with difficulty into other languages, as do the phrases themselves since often the original meaning is lost in translation.
Trademarked Famous Catchphrases | “Linsanity”
Catchphrases are themselves expressions that are popularized by repeated use through a well-known figure in the media or a fictional character from a movie or a book and thus an integral part of the culture associated with the particular language. Take for example “Linsanity” used to describe the craze around the basketball player, Jeremy Lin, known for his turn around win for the New York Knicks in 2012. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registered the term in his name.
Many individuals have tried to trademark their own catchphrase, some have even succeeded. Below are 6 more notorious examples.
6 Trademarked Famous Catchphrases
1. “You’re Fired!”
During the campaign, the Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential election tried to trademark his famous one-liner, “You’re fired!”, which he used when dismissing a participant on his successful reality TV show The Apprentice. Although his trademark application was never accepted, the phrase is still alive and well in popular culture.
2. “Hasta la Vista Baby”
The phrase “Hasta la Vista Baby” was used repeatedly by the protagonist, Arnold Schwarzenegger, became the symbol for his character in the film, “The Terminator”. The catchprase was registered for the trademark in 2007.
3. “Ancient Chinese Secret”
This phrase was used in a 1970’s commercial to market laundry detergent. The laudromat owner, of Chinese heritage, attributes the phrase to the success of his business. His wife reveals the true secret -Calgon – a water softening whitening detergent. The catchphrase was registered for trademark in 2007.
4. “BANANAS”
Rachel Zoe was successful in trademarking her famous catchphrase “BANANAS” in the context of describing something that is crazy. Although challenged by a T-shirt designer, Zoe had the law on her side.
5. “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!”
Michael Buffer’s phrase, possibly one of the best-known slogans, was originally delivered at the start of a boxing match. Trademarked in 1992, this phrase has been used to announe all types of events, including sports, entertainment, corporate functions, and parties.
6. “That’s Hot”
Paris Hilton trademarked her famous catchphrase at the peak of her fame. She eventually ended up in a lawsuit against Hallmark, who used it on their greeting cards in 2007, although they claimed the cards were safe under the fair-use law.
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