Lizzo has been given a trademark on the phrase “100% that b**ch,” which she famously declared in her 2017 single “Truth Hurts.”
An appeals board has overturned a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last year denying her company Lizzo LLC the exclusive right to use the phrase on clothing and merchandise. She applied in 2019 for a trademark on the phrase for use on "T-shirts, jackets, jerseys, beanies, hats, bandanas and wristbands."
In its ruling, the board agreed that “consumers encountering ‘100% That B-tch’ on the specific types of clothing identified in the application ― even when offered by third parties ― associate the term with Lizzo and her music."
It acknowledged that Lizzo did not originate the expression but noted that "lyrics from songs are more likely to be attributed to the artists who sing, rap or otherwise utter them, rather than the songwriters.”
In 2019, Lizzo gave a songwriter credit to Mina Lioness, whose 2017 tweet inspired the lyric. “I saw a meme that resonated me, a meme that made me feel like 100% that b**ch,” she recalled in a statement she shared on social media. “I sang that line in the demo, and I later used the line in ‘Truth Hurts.’”
I did a DNA test and found out I'm 100% that bitch.
— mina (@MinaLioness) February 25, 2017