Fox Media wants to trademark "OK boomer"
Fox Media has applied for a trademark on the catchhrase "OK boomer," the viral retort used by teens and young adults to mock baby boomers.
The trademark application says Fox plans to use the phrase for an "an on-going television series featuring reality competition, comedy and game shows."
Started on the popular video app TikTok, "OK boomer" has quickly become a meme that captures teenagers' frustration with what they perceive as lecturing from older Americans about politics, the climate crisis, money and other major issues.
In a recent New York Times article examining the phenomenon, reporter Taylor Lorenz called the buzzy slogan "a rallying cry for millions of fed up kids."
Still, it's unlikely that Fox will receive the trademark on grounds that the phrase is a "widely used message," according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who wrote about the application on Twitter. Nevertheless, the application means that "Fox has a bona fide intent to use this name for a television show," he added.
Efforts are already under way to commercialize "OK boomer," with sites like Etsy selling dozens of designs for t-shirts and other merchandise branded with the message.
The phrase made news earlier this month when a 25-year-old New Zealand lawmaker shut down a heckler during a climate change speech with the two-word comeback. Chlöe Swabrick, who belongs to the Green Party, silenced a fellow Parliament member by retorting, "OK, boomer" — then continued on with her speech.
