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Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com
US singer Lizzo has won her fight to trademark a slogan that she was able to prove is strongly associated with her, but it was a close-won case, finds Sarah Speight.
Brassy singer Lizzo has lived up to her slogan as ‘100% THAT BITCH’ and proven that—when it comes to promoting and safeguarding her brand—persistence pays off.
The Grammy-award-winning artist first sang the line, “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch,” in her 2017 single Truth Hurts. While the line was inspired by an internet meme, it has since become a part of her brand (and she shares the credits with the originator of the phrase, Mina Lioness).
When Lizzo applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2019 to register ‘100% THAT BITCH’ for use on clothing and other apparel, it was refused on the basis that it failed to function as a trademark.
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trademarks, USPTO, TTAB, failure to function, Lizzo