Not very cutesy, not very mindful. If you didn’t know, there’s been a lot of drama regarding the Jools Lebron ‘demure’ trademark.
As you may remember, the Chicago-based influencer went viral in early August for popularizing the phrase in a now-famous TikTok video.
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful. I don’t come to work with a green, cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much; I’m very mindful while I’m at work,” Lebron gloated on the China-made platform, showing off her makeup before clocking into her retail employer. “See how I look presentable? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job! A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma. Not demure!”
As we previously reported, per Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “demure” originated seven centuries ago and describes a person who’s “affectedly modest, reserved, or serious.” Although Lebron isn’t responsible for coining the term, the transgender personality’s humorous usage of it garnered over 50 million views and a follower count of a whopping 2.2 million on the app. Subsequently, Lebron’s overnight social media craze landed her an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and nods from many celebrities who have since used the celebrated sound (Jennifer Lopez, Lindsey Lohan, Khloé Kardashian).
Additionally, brand deals have (seemingly) rolled in pretty consistently for the doll collector. However, although things have been sweet for Miss Demure, they recently turned sour when she learned someone had attempted to snatch the phenomenon from under her feet.
What Happened With Jools Lebron’s Demure Trademark?
On Aug. 23, TMZ broke the story that an individual named Jefferson Bates (located in Washington State) had rushed to file documents to trademark “very demure, very mindful” and use it for marketing/advertisement purposes before Lebron could do so.
According to MSNBC, two other people (Kassandra Pop and Almondia White) did the same thing on Aug. 24 and Aug 27. Allegedly, Pop wanted to claim “very demure, very cutesy,” while White aimed to grab “always demure and very mindful” for apparel.
Upon discovering that the parties had sought to reap the benefits of Lebron’s tagline(s), the beauty guru took to TikTok with a super-emotional response. When addressing the issue, Lebron indicated that she felt she’d let her loved ones down because she had plans to utilize her newfound fame to support them financially.
“This merch situation is really f**king me up. I’ve just invested so much money and time into this, and I feel like I did it wrong,” she said with a tearful face. “I feel like I didn’t try hard enough. And I wanted this to do so much for my family.”
Lebron furthered by revealing that her transition surgery also relied on the success of her now-threatened ‘demure’ brand.
TikToker Jools LeBron reveals she was too late to trademark her catchphrase “very demure, very mindful” pic.twitter.com/UOq4Y2oNyl
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 25, 2024
What We Know About the Current Status of the Trademark
Following the news, many of Lebron’s internet divas and divos rallied behind her, enlightening and even offering to help her during this difficult time.
In an interview with FOX 5 DC’s Katie Barlow, a copyright expert, shared her thoughts on the situation and said, “Nothing has been trademarked yet. All that happened is a couple of different people applied to register phrases related to [Lebron’s] viral videos as trademarks.”
“There’s a lot left to happen in the United States Patent and Trademark Office before that actually turns into a registration,” Northeastern Law Professor Alexandra Roberts continued.
A TikToker with the handle @herboldjournal, who has a trademark of her own, added a little more insight about the sign-up process and how it went for her as well.
“My lawyer and I filed for my trademark on Sept. 1, 2020, and my application was only successful, and I got the registered trademark [in] June 2021,” she recalled. “As part of the application, there’s a dispute piece… and this is basically a time frame where people can come and dispute your trademark.”
Days after the unfortunate circumstance, Lebron resurfaced with an announcement, letting everyone know that it was being “handled.”
“We got it handled! And I’m going to leave it at that. We got it handled,” a joyful Lebron told her audience. “Mama got a team now! [laughs] It’s getting handled.”
@joolieannie #fyp #demure ? original sound – Jools Lebron
Her initial video about the trademark discrepancy has been deleted.
We’re hoping that all ends well for Jools!
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