Does "Hawk Tuah" woman Hailey Welch have more than 15 minutes of fame?
Some think the lewd phrase at least does.
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has received 22 trademark filings for the phrase — which dominated social media with memes and off-color jokes over the last week — for everything from sticker books to hats to T-shirts to sauces to lollipops.
Ironically, none of the filings appear to come from Welch. That's going to be a problem, according to trademark lawyer Josh Gerben.
"They will be denied by the USPTO since it will be considered a 'widely used expression' that is not capable of being owned, unless the woman in the video files for it," Gerben said.
Welch is selling four types of hats on a Tennessee-based merch site called Fathead Threads. The site's owner, Jason Poteete, told Rolling Stone last week that more than 2,000 hats have been sold, and the ones signed by Welch are gone.
Welch first appeared on the viral video during a woman-on-the-street quiz with Nashville based Tim & Dee TV. She since has risen to nationwide fame. Welch, who has more than 260,000 Instagram followers, appeared on stage at a Zach Bryan concert this weekend.
High Five Spirits in Petosky, Michigan, filed to use the phrase on alcohol-based tea. One man, Richard O’Reilly, filed to put the phrase on tobacco products, shampoo, cleaning agents and paper toilet bowl liners.
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office works on trademarks in order of when they are received, which means Welch, if she chooses to trademark the phrase will have a long wait. But perhaps, she will be the only one who will be able to own the mark. That might have little value depending on whether it's still in the lexicon by the time she gets the rights.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.