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Cardi B’s ‘okurrr’ trademark denied
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 1 July 2019
Cardi B has been denied a trademark application for her catchphrase ‘Okurrr’, on the grounds that loads of people say it. Loads. Including those Kardashians sometimes.
The rapper applied to trademark the word – which sounds like a cartoon arrow hitting a tree and means that someone has been put in their place – earlier this year. She apparently planned to splash it all over merch and applied to have control of it spelled with either two or three r’s (three being the ‘official’ spelling).
However, according to The Blast, the US Patent And Trademark Office reckons Okurrr is a “widely-used commonplace expression” that Cardi B has no right to exclusively control, whatever way she spells it. Officials apparently Googled the term and found a number of instances of it being in use, which included various Kardashians putting it into practice.
Rejecting the application, the US trademark authority also said that it “is a slogan or term that does not function as a trademark or service mark to indicate the source of applicant’s goods and/or services”.
When the application was first submitted, enough people pointed out that Cardi B didn’t invent the word that she responded in an Instagram video (to be fair, I don’t think many people have to criticise the rapper for a response of this kind). She said that everywhere she goes people ask her to say it, and that she therefore felt justified in attempting to profit off the word.
The option to make that money is not completely of the table. Trademarks officials have left her with the opportunity to amend and resubmit her application. I’m not exactly sure what she could do though. Add a few more r’s?
