Lizzo has finally been granted the right to trademark “100 percent that bitch” after popularizing the meme phrase on her 2017 song, “Truth Hurts.”
According to a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) filing obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday (February 2), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board determined “100 percent that bitch” was undeniably linked to the superstar singer and could officially be used for apparel.
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“Considering the entirety of the record, we find that most consumers would perceive 100% THAT Bitch used on the goods in the application as associated with Lizzo rather than as a commonplace expression,” the board ruled.
The decision comes as a reversal after the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) originally rejected Lizzo’s eight times previously.
TTAB argued that the phrase is “a message of self-confidence and female empowerment” at the time of denying the trademark, which fans “may associate” with Lizzo, but “does not entitle the applicant as a singer-songwriter to appropriate for itself exclusive use of the phrase.”
Lizzo originally saw the statement on a meme in 2017 before writing it into her song, which she found out in 2019 had been made from a tweet by London-based singer Mina Lioness. Upon learning about the tweet, Lizzo announced she’d be giving Lioness writing credit on the song.
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“In 2017, while working on a demo, I saw a meme that resonated with me…” Lizzo said in 2019. “I later used the line in ‘Truth Hurts’… I later learned that a tweet inspired the meme. The creator of the tweet is the person I am sharing my success with.”
The approved trademark is the latest in what’s already been a great year for Lizzo. On Wednesday (February 1), Madame Tussauds Las Vegas unveiled their wax caricature of the “Truth Hurts” singer, making for her very first one.
“Single-handedly one of the most terrifyingly meta moments of my life,” she joked in response. “Thank you @MadameTussauds. Now I know what a twosome with Lizzo is like.”
On Sunday (February 5), Lizzo will take the stage to perform at the 2023 Grammy Awards, where she’s nominated in five categories. Already the recipient of three Grammys, she’s now up for: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for “About Damn Time” and Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Special.
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The 65th annual ceremony will be hosted by Trevor Noah at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
