Fastest Man in the World Wants Ownership of His Victory Pose

Retired sprinter Usain Bolt has filed to trademark signature celebration move to use logo on merch
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 23, 2022 7:31 AM CDT
Fastest Man in the World Wants Ownership of His Victory Pose
Usain Bolt from Jamaica celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's 200-meter final during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in this Aug. 18, 2016, file photo.   (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

If you're a famous athlete with the name "Bolt," and you've got a signature victory move that resembles a jagged line of electricity, chances are you're going to make sure you control that likeness. There's only one man this situation currently applies to in the sports world, and he's now doing just that. The Guardian reports that Usain Bolt, the 36-year-old retired Jamaican sprinter who's still considered the world's fastest man, filed an application last week in the US for the trademark of his celebration pose—a tilt backward as he points toward the sky—which became, well, his trademark when he smashed world records and scooped up gold.

Per the US Patent and Trademark Office, the application to trademark the logo of Bolt's move was submitted last Wednesday. To be more specific, the image shows "the silhouette of a man in a distinctive pose, with one arm bent and pointing to the head, and the other arm raised and pointing upward." The application notes that Bolt wants to use the logo on clothing, footwear, watches, jewelry, sunglasses, and headwear, as well as on "sporting articles" and at restaurants and sports bars.

"The list is relatively extensive," US trademark attorney Josh Gerben tells Fortune. "The logo could be licensed or he could make those products himself." Gerben adds to the BBC that, as Bolt is now a racing retiree, "it makes sense that he would look to expand his business empire." Bolt applied to have trademarks registered for a similar logo more than a decade ago, but he apparently didn't do much with them in terms of putting it on merch, and those registrations have since lapsed in America. (More Usain Bolt stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X