The phrase was too catchy to let go after all.
Steph Curry's corporation, SC30, has filed to trademark the phrase "Nuit. Nuit," which he and his team cleverly rolled out after Curry helped Team USA down France in the mens basketball gold-medal game during the Paris Olympics earlier this month.
Curry filed to trademark the phrase in Europe on Aug. 14 and in the United States on Aug. 19.
The U.S. filing says there is an intent to use the phrase on all apparel. Curry will be helped by the fact he is the first to file for the phrase and won't have to wait in line behind someone else.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben was first to report the filing.
Designer Mike Fogg told cllct it was a one-off design, and program that wasn't meant to hit retail. But then came the bootleggers and the official Team USA licensees such as Fanatics using it on merch.
Fanatics quickly capitalized on the viral image of Curry’s celebration last week and began selling “Gold Medal Moments Night Night” T-shirts, which featured an image of Curry above the “Nuit. Nuit” phrase.
A top-seller on the Fanatics website, the shirts retailed for $39.99 and were labeled a “Special Event Item” that would ship separately from other purchases and no later than Sept. 3.
Team USA and Warriors coach Steve Kerr even referenced the phrase during his speech Monday night at the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The design first went viral when Curry was spotted after the victory wearing a blue hoodie with “Nuit. Nuit” in white writing alongside the Eiffel Tower.
“Nuit. Nuit. In France, we say that instead of Night, Night,” Curry told media personality Rachel Nichols at the team’s postgame party.
According to Fogg, work on the project began in June with Curry collaborating along the way. Pieces were eventually shipped to Paris, though it wasn’t clear until Team USA’s win over France if Curry would ever wear them.
The French typically say “Bonne Nuit,” rather than “night, night.”
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.