Courtesy DTCIPitbull is famous for saying “Dale” in his hit songs, but he’s also famous for a particular yell — or “grito” — that sounds kinda like “EEEEEYOOOO!” Well, don’t try to use that same yell, or you could be sued.
According to Billboard, Pitbull has trademarked his grito, and that’s very unusual: Of 234 “sound trademarks” that exist, only about 36 are “sounds without words,” which are associated “with a particular good or service.”
Essentially, Pitbull’s legal team convinced the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office that his yell is so closely associated with him that anyone who hears it thinks it’s him. What that means is that if anyone uses that particular yell, or something that sounds close to it, they could be sued for trademark infringement. As Pitbull’s lawyer tells Billboard, “It’s another piece of intellectual property he owns.”
Appearing on Live with Kelly & Ryan Tuesday, Pitbull explained, “It’s many, many, many years that we’ve been utilizing that sound right there….where it comes from is when we used to run around in the streets and in clubs…involved with ‘extracurricular activities,’ just to say.”
“That was our way of letting each other know something was going on,” he added. “So now we’re using it on records and that’s the way that we get the world ready to have a good time!”
Pitbull also discussed his new charity single, “I Believe That We Will Win,” which he wrote about the battle against COVID-19.
“I know us as a society, community, as human beings around the globe, we’re going to beat this thing,” he said, noting, “In the word ‘virus,’ at the end of it is ‘us.’ So virus may end with us, but it will not end us. And that’s what this record’s all about.”
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