What!? Darth Vader’s Breathing is a Trademark?

“Hahhhhhhh kerrrrrrrr hahhhhhhh kerrrrrrrr…” You can hear it now.

But if you use it to sell toys, you might get a nasty Star Wars themed cease and desist letter from the Galactic Empire’s legal team.

It’s true, Lucasfilm obtained a registration from the USPTO back in 2008 for the famous “scuba” breathing sound in two classes: Class 25 for costume masks, toys, and action figures, and Class 28 for halloween costumes. You can even listen to one of the sound recordings they filed with the USPTO here.

While sound trademarks are not as common as word and design marks, they are certainly eligible for trademark protection if you use them to identify the source of goods or services. To learn more, check out the ebook below or hop over to this guide.

May the force be with you….

(This article is general in nature and is not legal advice. Cropped Image: Brickset, CC BY 2.0)