These trademarked phrases aren’t just catchy expressions—they’re legally protected
10 Famous Phrases You Never Knew Were Trademarked
Updated on May 20, 2025
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Famed wrestling and boxing announcer Michael Buffer must have known his catchphrase would take off when he started using it in the ’80s. Since having it trademarked in 1992, he’s reportedly made $400 million by licensing one of the most famous phrases to be used in movies, commercials, video games, you name it. In the late ’90s, Buffer was part of a New York City campaign to get taxi riders to buckle their seat belts. Anyone who got in a cab would hear “Let’s get ready to rumble … for safety!”
Three-peat
When you invite your friends over for game night and win three rounds of UNO in a row, it’s not simply three wins. It’s not a repeat plus one. It’s a “three-peat,” a term usually used to describe three consecutive sports championship wins. The term was successfully trademarked by former Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley in 1988, just as his team was set to win three consecutive NBA titles. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons, but since Riley obtained the copyright for commercial use, he did profit off other teams who completed the precious three-peat. See? There’s a bright side to everything.
That’s hot
Paris Hilton made her catchphrase famous on her reality show, The Simple Life, and later acquired three trademarks for it: one for use in men’s and women’s clothing, one for electronic devices and one for alcoholic beverages. In 2007, she sued Hallmark for putting the expression and her image on a greeting card—and won. That’s a win for famous trademarked phrases everywhere! Or, as Hilton herself would say, “That’s hot.”
You cannot be serious
Some trademarked phrases sound like common expressions you’d hear in everyday conversation—because they are. When John McEnroe was an active tennis player, he was known for getting a bit (um …) aggressive with the officials. While playing at Wimbledon in 1981, an umpire made a call against him, to which the Queens, New York, native exclaimed, “You cannot be serious!” Now McEnroe owns the trademark.
This sick beat
No celebrity trademarks phrases better than Taylor Swift. After her 2014 album 1989 debuted, she trademarked five famous phrases from her songs: “This Sick Beat,” “Party Like It’s 1989,” “Cause We Never Go Out of Style,” “Could Show You Incredible Things” and “Nice to Meet You. Where You Been?” No one can use those famous lines commercially without paying a price. Luckily, you can still sing these words at the top of your lungs as much as you want.
Let’s roll
A motivating phrase with a somber origin, “Let’s roll” was trademarked by the Todd M. Beamer Foundation, now called Heroic Choices. Beamer was a passenger on United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. He and other passengers worked together to overtake the hijackers and ultimately crashed the plane into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Beamer’s last words, overheard by an airphone supervisor, were: “Are you ready? Let’s roll.” Heroic Choices trademarked “Let’s roll” to sell merchandise and give the proceeds back to the charity.
Jeah
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte trademarked his inventive personal catchphrase in 2012. So what does this variant of the slang word yeah mean? In a 2009 YouTube video, Lochte explains: “It means, like, almost everything. Like happy. Like, if you have a good swim, you say, ‘Jeah!’”
BAM!
If you’ve seen Emeril Lagasse on TV, you’ve heard his signature emphatic catchphrase. This example of onomatopoeia is trademarked by Emeril’s Food of Love, the acclaimed chef and restaurateur’s culinary empire. Other trademarks include the word “Bam” in some form, but only Lagasse’s features the all-important exclamation point.
Tebowing
Athletes are definitely on their game when it comes to securing trademarks for crazy phrases. In 2012, then–NFL player Tim Tebow landed one for the word “tebowing,” which describes how Tebow would drop to one knee with a clenched fist to his forehead while praying on the football field. Think Rodin’s sculpture The Thinker, except a lot more fun to say.
Super Bowl
We know this is more of an event than a famous phrase, but it’s too good not to include. The NFL does, in fact, own the trademark for “Super Bowl,” and its lawyers apparently send thousands of letters to remind advertisers and small businesses of this largely unknown fact. Since companies pay millions of dollars for ads to air during the biggest sporting event of the year, the NFL doesn’t want to undermine its impact by having every sports bar in America use the phrase. Next February, pay attention to local businesses promoting “Game Day” or “Big Game” deals. Not that it matters much—everyone knows what game they mean.
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Source:
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: “What Is a Trademark?”
