Insomniac commenced the official process for owning a trademark on a term that has been propagated at their events for years: Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. The company filed for the trademark on February 10 and intends to use its merchandise. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has not yet approved their application.
PLUR is commonly seen in conversation and a variety of totems, clothing, and kandi bracelets. The term was coined in the 90s by DJ Frankie Bones, who gave the full story behind the phrase’s history on Insomniac’s website. The DJ is largely supportive of Insomniac CEO Pasquale Rotella’s vision as he made a quick statement on Facebook regarding the trademark. Despite that, one may argue that the saying transcends just one promoter’s events.
EDM Identity’s, founder, and editor-in-chief, Grant Gilmore went to Twitter to explain that PLUR has been trademarked numerous times throughout the past and in fact, many trademarks are still active today.
For everyone jumping down Insomniac’s throat about trademarking PLUR, multiple companies have either done so in the past and/or still have active trademarks, lol. pic.twitter.com/RQ1wsobmzG
— Panda Panda Panda ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@czarcruise) April 6, 2023
There has been a considerable response to this news on social media, as the phrase is said at numerous Dance Music events. Many pointed out how the concept of trying to hold exclusive privilege for printing a commonly used acronym is the polar opposite of “PLUR.” Yesterday, a Redditor generated a letter of protest in Chat GPT.
How do YOU feel about this potential trademark?
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