Do you remember Usain Bolt's well-known victory pose, the famous "lightning move" that he invented and which became a tangible expression of his superiority on the short track?
After each win (and there were quite a few of them in his career), the Jamaican sprinter stood in the celebration position identified with him: the body leans back a little and the hands are directed to the sky in a way that simulates the phenomenon, perhaps a natural phenomenon, perhaps a symbol of a modern deity.
Bolt's fans were enthusiastic about the "lightning movement", opponents complained that it had an arrogance that humiliated them, but it seems that no one around the world remained indifferent to it.
Millions of children around the world have imitated her, and now that they have grown up to be a new generation of consumers, Bolt has filed an official application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to have the silhouetted logo recognized as a registered trademark.
It is interesting that the fastest runner in the history of mankind already submitted a similar request about 12 years ago, but because he did not use the logo for such a long time, his request expired, and the Jamaican was required to undergo a renewed procedure.
According to the details of the request, Bolt intends to use the logo in quite diverse business areas - sunglasses, jewelry, bags, clothes, sports products and even catering.
In general, intellectual property laws prohibit the registration of rights to gestures or hand movements, but this principle also has exceptions.
A hand gesture will be recognized as a trademark if the general public immediately attributes it to a particular person.
Many celebrities from the field of sports invented unique celebration movements, which became associated with them in the public's mind.
Some of them wanted to reserve the movement for themselves, or rather its economic significance in the marketing aspect.
Page, photo: AFP
Restorations are here
Sometimes the attempt to register such a movement as a trademark was crowned with success.
This was the case, for example, in the case of professional wrestler "Diamond" Dallas Page: his familiar mark that corresponded with his nickname - a diamond shape formed when he clasped the thumbs and fingers of both hands - was recognized as his trademark.
Page used to make the mark, then separate the hands in a quick motion, simulating the cutting of a diamond.
Following the registration, he sued the trademark infringers at least twice.
The first defendant was the rapper Jay-Z, who had to pay Paige financial compensation in exchange for withdrawing the lawsuit.
The second lawsuit was against the musical duet 3OH!3, who asked to adopt a similar logo, and even sold merchandise that carried it.
Another sporting hand gesture is also associated with the South African football team from Melody Sundowns and stars on their crest.
There is no denying that the people of Melodi did not invent it, and it is likely that it is not possible to determine who was the first person who raised the thumb and index finger of his palm upwards while bending the other three fingers.
Despite this, the gesture was adopted by the club's players and fans and became their distinctive sign, although none of them tried to defend it through a legal process.
That is, photography: screenshot
The members of another soccer team from South Africa, Orlando Pirates, use to cross their arms at chest level in an attempt to imitate the pirate sign emblazoned on the club's crest, but it is doubtful that they will ever be able to register it in their name.
Another famous move was adopted by Steph Curry.
There is no disputing that the star of Golden State didn't invent it, because putting the two palms to the cheek in the meaning of sleep was done long before him, but the words "Night Night" that accompanied it, were nevertheless registered by him as a trademark.
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