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#7 'Stiff upper lip'
This unusual trademark was filed for and abandoned by WWE in 2007. The trademark application was for ‘entertainment services’ related to the wrestling profession, yet seems to be completely contradictory to the nature of pro wrestling itself.
The expression ‘stiff upper lip’ is popular mainly in Great Britain, and is used to describe someone who ‘keeps a stiff upper lip’ by showing restraint in trying to show emotion. In other words, it describes someone who goes to great lengths to be as stone-faced and void of emotion as possible.
The reason that this concept is anathema to wrestling is because wrestling is all about emotion. Wrestling matches are supposed to be stories that draw people in and get them to invest their emotions in the stories that unfold inside a wrestling ring.
So for WWE to try and trademark an expression that’s widespread in an entire country that has nothing to do with wrestling itself shows just how much the company must love playing with intellectual property laws.
