Fox has filed a trademark application for 'OK, boomer' and plans to name a television show after the phrase

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  • Fox Media LLC filed a trademark application for the phrase “OK, boomer,” last week, paving the way for the phrase to reach a television audience.
  • Trademark lawyer and founder of Gerben Law Firm Josh Gerben posted a screenshot of the trademark application to Twitter on Monday.
  • The slogan first appeared on TikTok but soon took the Internet by storm as it is used mostly by teens to poke fun at older generations seen as out of touch.
  • Several applications to trademark the phrase have been filed in the last month as a huge amount of merchandise for the phrase has popped up online.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Fox Media LLC filed a trademark application for “OK, boomer” in the newest reported attempt to cash in on the wildly popular phrase.

The slogan “OK, boomer” rose to popularity on the viral video app TikTok, before spreading to the rest of the Internet as shorthand for teens to poke fun at older generations for seeming out of touch.

In just a few short weeks, the phrase sprung from a meme on the app to garnering mainstream attention over its place in politics and the workplace. The phrase even received its own profile from the New York Times’ Taylor Lorenz.

The filing was discovered by trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who tweeted that it was filed on November 11, and says that Fox likely intends to use the phrase as the name of a reality, comedy or game show.

According to the filing, Fox has identified the phrase for use in “Entertainment services, namely, an on-going television series featuring reality competition, comedy, and game shows.”

Despite the massive popularity in the phrase appearing on all sorts of online merchandise, in the last month alone, the phrase has been subject to brand filings for everything from clothing to stickers and decals. “OK, boomer” even caught the attention of much larger brands like Netflix, Planters, and Natural Lite.

Gerben told CNN that the phrase’s popularity would likely hamper the network’s chances at a successful trademark.

“In all likelihood, the USPTO will deny all of these applications because OK BOOMER has become a ‘widely used message,'” Gerben told CNN.

“A trademark registration will not issue in a phrase that is commonly used to convey a social or political message. This is because such a ‘viral’ phrase is incapable of identifying the source of a product or service — which is what trademarks must do to be capable of registration.”

SEE ALSO: Teens have been using the slogan ‘OK Boomer’ to poke fun at older generations, and someone is already trying to trademark the term

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