Cardi B can’t own “okurrr.”
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has notified the rap star’s lawyer that she is not allowed to trademark her signature expression.
Cardi applied in March for the exclusive right to use “Okurrr” on apparel and “paper goods.” But, the trademark office determined that the word “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.’
“Because consumers are accustomed to seeing this term or expression commonly used in everyday speech by many different sources, they would not perceive it as a mark identifying the source of applicant’s goods and/or services but rather as only conveying an informational message.”
Cardi took plenty of heat on social media when she filed the trademark application. "Drag queens BEEN saying that before we knew who Cardi was. Girl bye," read one tweet.
The rapper responded to all the criticism in an Instagram video. "Let me tell you something," she said. "Every time I go to a corporate meeting these folks be like, 'OMG can we please hear you say okurrr?' Everytime I go to a TV show, 'Hey, hey, hey, hey can you teach us how to say okurrr?' Hey, hey, hey every commercial: 'Can you finish it off with Okurrr?' Do you think I ain't going to profit off this s**t?"