“Very demure, very mindful” might have been trademarked — but not by who you think. Creator Jools Lebron went viral at the start of August for this viral catchphrase, with the gimmick landing her lucrative gigs like Jimmy Kimmel Live and events with makeup artist Patrick Ta.
But despite the success the trend has brought her, the social media star told TikTok viewers she “dropped the ball” by not filing a trademark fast enough.
On August 23, TMZ reported that a man named Jefferson Bates applied to trademark the phrase. Not much is known about him. However, he does seem to have a history of trying to acquire trademarks for phrases and trends that he hasn’t necessarily originated.
Jools Lebron addressed the claims in a now-deleted August 24 TikTok subtitled: “When you didn’t trademark fast enough.”
“I feel like I did it wrong. I feel like I didn’t try hard enough, and I wanted this to do so much for my family and provide for my transition,” she said in the now-deleted clip. “And I just feel like I dropped the ball.”
She continued: “I feel like I fucked up, and someone else has it now. And I don’t even know what I could have done better because I didn’t have the resources.”
It’s not over yet for Jools Lebron
Fortunately, fellow creator and lawyer @bellewoods thinks that Jools Lebron still may have a right to pursue the trademark. She explained that trademarks take a long time to be approved.
She also noted how while Bates would have technically applied first, the person who uses the trademark for goods and services would get priority. And since Lebron has been doing just that, she would most likely get priority over Bates.
“So, in conclusion, Jules has nothing to worry about,” she said. “Jules can keep saying ‘very demure, very mindful,’ and Jules can file her own trademark applications for podcast, merch, whatever she wants. She will likely have priority, and it will be no issue for her to continue being the demure diva that we all know and love.”
