Finance

Lizzo Granted Trademark For ‘100% That B—H’—After Previous Refusal

02/03/2023
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Topline

Singer Lizzo on Thursday was granted the trademark to use the phrase “100% That B—h” on apparel, after a group within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted her exclusive permission, overturning a previous rejection.

Key Facts

The office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled Thursday that consumers who encounter the phrase—which comes from 2017 hit “Truth Hurts”—would “associate the term with Lizzo and her music,” even if coming from a third party.

Last year, her request to trademark the phrase was denied, with the ruling stating it was a “commonplace expression” and was not specific enough to warrant a trademark.

Lizzo has submitted eight requests to trademark the phrase “100% That B—h,” according to data from Trademark Electronic Search System, and first submitted the one for apparel that was approved Thursday on June 10, 2019.

Crucial Quote

“I just took a DNA test. Turns out, I’m 100% that b—h,” Lizzo sings on “Truth Hurts.” The song made the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 and was Lizzo’s first No. 1 hit. It stayed at the top for seven weeks, and remains her longest-running No. 1.

Key Background

This is not the first struggle Lizzo has had over the lyrics that shot her to fame. In 2019, after the song became popular, Lizzo said she would add a credit on the song for Twitter user and singer Mina Lioness, who came up with the phrase in a post on the site, which ultimately became a widely-used meme. The credit allowed Lioness to receive royalties. “I later learned that a tweet inspired the meme. The creator of the tweet is the person I am sharing my success with,” Lizzo said in a 2019 statement. That year, Lizzo, whose real name is Mellissa Jefferies, sued producers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen, who claimed they were in the room when “Truth Hurts” was written, and helped to include “1-00% that b—h” in the song. She sued them “to put an end to their false claims and their campaign of harassment,” and both groups settled in 2022.

Further Reading

Lizzo Files Lawsuit Against Songwriters Who Claim They Helped Write ‘Truth Hurts’ (Forbes)

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/02/02/lizzo-granted-trademark-for-100-that-b-h-after-previous-refusal/