Blog & Save

The best bargain brains on the web come together to share money saving tips to finely tune your

personal finance in a coupon blog

you can't miss. Join us on our quest of living well – while spending less!

Charlie Sheen's "Winning" and Other Trademarked Phrases

By dealtown(view all posts by dealtown)
at 7:58AM Wednesday April 6, 2011
under Newsworthy

Charlie Sheen is seeking to trademark twenty-two of his now-infamous catchphrases, including "tiger blood," "rock star from Mars," and "duh, winning." He has also moved to trademark his name and signature.

Trademarking a phrase can be very lucrative, and in many cases, very dumb. Here are five more phrases that you may not know are trademarked.
1. "That's hot"/ "That's huge"

Paris Hilton trademarked her impressively stupid catchphrase "that's hot" in 2004. In 2007, she sued Hallmark for using the phrase, along with her photo, on a greeting card. The lawsuit was settled in 2010. While the actual terms were not released to the public, it's believed that Hilton "walked away with a favorable package." But Hilton's trademarking endeavors don't end there: she's also trademarked her new catchphrase "that's huge," so think twice before printing any greeting cards featuring that phrase.

2. "Let's get ready to rumble!"

Ring announcer Michael Buffer trademarked his signature phrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!" in 1992. He has used the phrase in many licensing deals, including video games, albums, and commercials, most hilariously in a Kraft cheese commercial in which he says "Let's get ready to crumble!" As of 2009, he had made more than $400 million from trademark licensing.

3. "Three-peat"

In sports, a three-peat occurs when a team wins three consecutive championship games. In 1988, now-retired NBA coach Pat Riley trademarked the phrase for use on apparel. Don't worry, you can still say the phrase without having to send Pat Riley money, which some people were apparently worried about. Just don't print it on any windbreakers.

4. "There's an app for that"

Apparently, this ultra-popular phrase has been trademarked since October of 2010. Apple filed a trademark application for the phrase in December of 2009. The trademark applies to usage by basically any consumer electronics service, either in brick-and-mortar retail stores or on the Internet. As Wired points out, this will not put an end to "there's an app for that" jokes.

5. "Can't wait!"

New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott has filed for trademark of the phrase "Can't wait!" which he used in a post-game television interview. The video of the January 2011 interview went viral, and "Can't wait!" enjoyed a brief stint as buzzphrase of the hour. Because of its popularity, Scott filed for trademark with the intent to use the phrase on apparel, declaring "If anybody is going to benefit off 'Can't wait!', it should be [him]." The case has raised questions about whether a person can trademark a phrase on the grounds that they said on television one time.

Got any catch phrases you're thinking of trademarking?  Share 'em with us in the comments.