WTF for education. OMG for online marketing. SELFIE for construction repair. Internet slang keeps landing on India’s trademark register — often to no real benefit. A light look at why people file slang marks, and what actually decides whether they stick.
From logos to slang
Trademark law has travelled a long way from a mark that merely separated one trader from another. What began as a word or logo now covers slogans, phrases — and, as an offshoot, slang. Whether you use the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of slang or the Urban Dictionary’s cheekier one, browsing the weekly Trade Marks Journal (~1,000 new marks each Monday) is an entertaining and educating experience.
The rush to file slang
Once a word gains currency in mainstream or social media, you can reliably expect a trademark application. It looks enthusiastic — but often yields no benefit. Take SELFIE (Oxford’s 2013 word of the year): everyone knows it, so it makes little sense as a trademark — yet four applications were filed across various classes, some baffling (SELFIE for building and construction repair).
Some of the funnier filings
A sample from the register (not exhaustive), amusing especially alongside their goods/services:
| Trademark | Goods/Services | Status |
|---|---|---|
| WTF! | Providing education | Registered |
| OMG | Online marketing | Pending |
| SELFIE | Building/construction repair | Pending |
| DUDE / DUDETTE | Medicines | Pending |
| BFF 24/7 | Stationery | Pending |
| PHABLET | Mobile phones | Pending |
| DOPE | Medicine | Pending |
| ROFL | Sale of clothes | Pending |
Why the slang classes cluster
Pharmaceuticals, software, clothing and business services attract the most slang/abbreviation filings — which makes sense: these are fiercely competitive fields, and latching onto a colloquial term to sell a product may help. Otherwise, it just reads like applicants trying to grab proprietary rights over popular words.
Whether they register
Ultimately, since the Registry examines applications mainly for whether they describe the goods or conflict with prior similar marks, many slang applications may sail through to registration if they aren’t descriptive of the specific goods. A slang term applied arbitrarily to unrelated goods (WTF for education) can clear that low bar — however odd it looks.
The takeaways
- Slang can be trademarked — arbitrary use on unrelated goods can pass examination.
- Often pointless — a term everyone uses (SELFIE) rarely makes a strong, defensible mark.
- Competitive classes cluster — pharma, software, clothing and services see the most slang filings.
- Examination is the gate — descriptiveness and prior conflicts, not novelty of the slang, decide it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I trademark a slang word in India? Yes, potentially — if it’s used arbitrarily on unrelated goods and isn’t descriptive of them or conflicting with earlier marks, it can clear examination, though it may make a weak brand.
Why do people file trademarks for popular slang? To try to grab proprietary rights over trending terms, especially in competitive fields — though a term everyone uses often makes little commercial sense as a mark.
Which industries file the most slang marks? Pharmaceuticals, software, clothing and business services — highly competitive fields where a catchy colloquial term may help sell.
Will a slang trademark actually register? It can, since examination focuses on descriptiveness and prior conflicts rather than the novelty of the slang — arbitrary use on unrelated goods often passes.
Useful official resources
- The Trade Marks Act, 1999
- Trade Marks Registry — IP India