Megan Thee Stallion Is (Rightfully) Trademarking ‘Hot Girl Summer’

Brands beware

megan thee stallion trademarking hot girl summer
Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during the Pre Show at the 2019 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater.
Maury Phillips/Getty Images for BET

Hot Girl Summer. You know it, you live it, you can’t escape it. Or maybe you actually have no idea what I’m talking about, in which case you can read our explainer on the summer’s hottest meme here.

And now the phrase we’ve been loving/living all summer long is finally getting trademarked, by the creator herself. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion is in the process of legally obtaining the rights to her beloved self-actualization-mantra-turned-meme that has everyone from Jada Pinkett Smith to your dad hashtagging their selfies with #hotgirlsummer.

Meg confirmed to fans on Twitter that she was in the process of trademarking the phrase. According to Billboard, the trademark was filed on July 10, and if approved, will cover merchandise products like hoodies, T-shirts and sportswear. Brands like Maybelline, Wendys and Forever21 have already capitalized off the growing popularity of Hot Girl Summer, much to the dismay of Stallion’s fans.

Though it’s likely most people don’t have an issue with Meg acquiring ownership of her own phrase, artists don’t always gain that right. Cardi B famously tried to trademark her famous catchphrase, “Okurrr,” but was subsequently denied on the basis that 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,” according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Here’s to hoping Meg gets approved and secures her bag, but until then, let’s all keep living our best Hot Girl Summer life, and remember what the phrase is truly about.

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