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Can you register a phrase?

post #1 of 8
4/24/10 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 
Does anyone know if you can register a phrase.

Something that could be used on T-shirts and such.

5 words but I( don't want to write them here of course.

Something along the lines of a catch phrase. As outlined here on LegalZoom.com

Anybody ever do anything like this?
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post #2 of 8
4/25/10 at 9:23am
I'm not an intellectual property lawyer, but took a few IP law classes back in b-school. So take my words with a hefty dose of salt. That said, I'm pretty sure you can trademark a slogan or phrase if you can demonstrate that you invented it, and that no one else beat you to it. You can't trademark a commonly used phrase that no one else has bothered to attempt to trademark, for instance. But if you make something up that's never been used before, I think you can do it. Note that this is different from a copyright, which would generally be applied to a work of art, a film, or a full document of some sort. If I wanted to, I could copyright this post (And, technically speaking, I already have -- just by virtue of having completed it). But I couldn't trademark it.
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post #3 of 8
4/25/10 at 11:18am
That's hot.
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post #4 of 8
4/25/10 at 11:28am
wasnt there a Curb your Enthusiasm episode about this?
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post #5 of 8
4/25/10 at 10:15pm
Didn't Pat Riley trademark "threepeat" or something?
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post #6 of 8
4/25/10 at 10:17pm
"I didn't do it"
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post #7 of 8
4/25/10 at 10:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakota rube View Post
Didn't Pat Riley trademark "threepeat" or something?

Yes, through his company, RIS Enterprises or something like that.

That was one of the things I thought of.

It seems like registering a phrase is very viable and costs about $300 with legalzoom.com While they are not prominent attorneys, I don't think it's necessary for something like this.

I think I'll do it and see how it goes. I wonder if anyone registered "Hope and Change"! The phrase is probably too generic, but that would have been a good one to own the rights to.
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post #8 of 8
4/25/10 at 10:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnoldh View Post
Yes, through his company, RIS Enterprises or something like that.

Pretty sure it was Phil Jackson.

Quote:
I think I'll do it and see how it goes. I wonder if anyone registered "Hope and Change"! The phrase is probably too generic, but that would have been a good one to own the rights to.

I registered the phrase "same shit, different day". I'll never have to work a day in my life again.
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