One of the latest viral phrases to take the world by storm is Jools Lebron’s “very demure, very mindful” meme. The TikTok beauty influencer used the phrase to describe how she dresses for work and implores women to do the same. It was a perfect antidote to “brat summer” and launched Lebron into the public eye. However, Lebron, like many who are catapulted into popularity, didn’t realize the importance of legally protecting her catchphrase, and someone else took the opportunity to trademark it.
“Very demure, very mindful” creator might miss out on profits
Despite the “very demure, very mindful” meme leading to Lebron’s appearances on talk shows and collaborations with big brands, a trademark troll may block her from cashing in big. According to NBC News, someone in Washington named Jefferson Bates applied to trademark the expression.
Unfortunately, if the trademark application from Bates is accepted, Lebron could be blocked from merchandising the expression. If Bates doesn’t willingly relinquish his claim, Lebron could be in for a legal battle to reclaim the catchphrase she created.
Realistically, given the typical half-life of memes, Lebron could lose money fighting a legal battle. We’re already at the point where brands and politicians are co-opting the meme, which means it’s past its peak. So, the market for “very demure” merchandise will likely have shrunk by the time the situation gets resolved.
This poses a significant challenge for Lebron, who must now decide whether to engage in a potentially costly and lengthy legal dispute over intellectual property rights or to pivot her strategy. The situation underscores the importance of timely legal protection for viral content creators to secure their intellectual property before it’s exploited by others.
We’ll likely see situations like this continue to occur as copyright and trademark trolls realize how easy it is to target viral creators. These people are pushed into stardom overnight, and most of them have no clue how to protect their intellectual property or even that they need to in the first place.
