As far-fetched as it sounded to some, Cardi B really did try to trademark her purported signature phrase “okurrr.”
But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said, “oh no.”
According to CNN, the platinum-selling rapper’s attorney Doreen Small filed applications on behalf of Cardi B’s company, Washpoppin Inc. to trademark the popular catchphrase in March to use it on paper goods, such as cups and posters, and clothing, like T-shirts and undergarments.
The patent office refused to register that trademark because it is a “commonplace term, message, or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment.”
They also noted how the expression is “commonly used in the drag community and by celebrities as an alternate way of saying ‘OK’ or ‘something that is said to affirm when someone is being put in their place.’”
When she hosted “The Tonight Show,” last year, the Grammy Award winner said it was like saying “OK” in a new way since “OK is played out.”
“You know, it’s like a cold pigeon in New York City,” Cardi B said, explaining there are different variations of the phrase depending on the situation.
The “Press” lyricist used the phrase during her Pepsi commercial, which premiered during the Super Bowl earlier this year.
