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After Chicago-based TikToker Jools Lebron’s “very demure, very mindful” clip exploded in popularity, other parties tried to trademark the slogan to reap the benefits. But a quick backlash has apparently solved the issue in Lebron’s favor — a potentially life-changing situation.
The Big Picture: The internet is no longer the Wild West where a creator can’t claim ownership of their creation, no matter how trivial. And considering how culture jumps on even the simplest trend (everyone from J.Lo to The White House is in on “demure”), there’s big money behind short viral hits.
Between the Lines: Lebron had posted a tearful video (now removed) that other people were trying to trademark her viral phrase (the original video has roughly 50 million views). The internet didn’t like that.
- A person named Jefferson Bates and the company Do or Drink both tried to file trademarks for “very demure, very mindful” after it went viral.
- People went up in arms on social media that Lebron wouldn’t hold the trademark of her phrase. One other TikToker even tried to get the trademark so they could transfer it to Lebron.
- Eventually, the situation got “handled,” according to Lebron. In that video, brands like Zillow and Ritz Crackers commented (we know, all of this is insane).
Closing Thoughts: Wired notes that we’ve come a long way since the day when the phrase “on fleek” went viral on Vine and creator Peaches Monroee was unable to capitalize on its virality. Memes may be silly, but they’re now big business with cultural cache. Netflix even asked Lebron to curate a “Very Demure, Very Mindful” watchlist on the service — for money, of course.
Go Deeper: Even the Hawk Tuah Girl is reaping the rewards of the meme life.
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