Jools Lebron, creator of the TikTok trend "very demure, very mindful," could soon lose ownership of the phrase despite making it popular.

On Sunday, the trans influencer posted and then deleted a TikTok video of her sobbing. In the clip, Lebron shared that despite starting the trend, another person has tried to take ownership of the phrase by filing a trademark for it.

"I've just invested so much money and time into this, and I feel like I did it wrong. I feel like I didn't try hard enough," the Puerto Rican-American said in the now-deleted clip.

"I wanted to do so much for my family and provide for my transition, and I just feel like I dropped the ball," she added.

According to TMZ, the person behind the trademark filing is Jefferson Bates from Washington state. The move was likely aimed at making money from the "very demure, very mindful" viral trend.

However, Alli Elmunzer, an attorney and founder of Influencer Legal, told The Guardian that Lebron shouldn't "be worried" about the issue. In fact, the TikToker can still oppose the filing, especially since the U.S. trademark law recognizes the first person to use a trademark, not the first person to file a claim.

"I have no doubt that Lebron will be able to successfully oppose this, and there's a pathway for her to get the trademark, but it will cost her time and money to get it," Elmunzer said.

Related

The lawyer also revealed that Bates has filed a $1 billion trademark application.

Since posting the viral TikTok video in early August, Lebron has grown her following to 2.1 million with over 116 million likes on the platform.

The "very demure, very mindful" video has also over 49 million views and counting, with 4.7 million likes and 22,100 comments.

@joolieannie

#fyp #demure

♬ original sound - Jools Lebron
Tags
TikTok