On June 9, 2017, KISS bassist and co-lead singer, Gene Simmons, filed a trademark application for a familiar hand gesture he uses on stage.
According to the trademark application, the mark depicts a hand gesture “with the index and small fingers extended upward and the thumb extended perpendicular” in connection with entertainment services, namely live performances by a musical artist and personal appearances by a musical artist.
The application claims a first use in commerce date of November 14, 1974, which coincides with Kiss’ Hotter Than Hell Tour.
It will take at least three months for this application to be assigned to an Examiner for review. If accepted by the Examiner, a 30 day opposition period will follow which might find Simmons fighting for use of the mark. Anyone who may be damaged by the actual or proposed registration of a mark can challenge it.
Simmons, who is no stranger to the trademark process with 180 applications one file (most have not registered), also applied for two additional marks in the same week:
IMOGUL for a general feature magazine in the fields of entertainment, music, popular culture, celebrities, politics, film, business, personal finance and lifestyles.
GENE SIMMONS BAND LOS ANGELES, CA – this logo protects the use on clothing and entertainment services. This is the band name of Simmons’ new solo venture.
