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Social distancing beer, CBD oil, and crop tops? Coronavirus-related applications pouring into U.S. trademark office.

The coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 1 million people around the globe hasn’t put a damper on America’s entrepreneurial spirit. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has seen a flood of COVID-related applications — dozens from the tri-state area alone.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has been been slammed by trademark applications related to the coronavirus pandemic, from both individuals and businesses. This T-shirt design was submitted by a family doctor in Ardmore.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has been been slammed by trademark applications related to the coronavirus pandemic, from both individuals and businesses. This T-shirt design was submitted by a family doctor in Ardmore.Read moreSean D. Green

The coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than one million people around the globe hasn’t put a damper on America’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Quite the contrary.

With cases of COVID-19 soaring across the country, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has seen a flood of applications — dozens from the tri-state area alone — for trademarks associated with the pandemic.

Coronababy. Covid Kid. Shelter in Paradise. Be Covidgilant. Quarantini. Corona-Geddon. Social Distance Fitness. Covid Pro Quo. Quarantine Madness. The Corona You Want. Heineken Virus.

Social Distancing crop tops. Social Distancing beer. Social Distancing CBD oil.

NBCUniversal has filed one for Together Starts Here, a variation on its Comedy Starts Here slogan. Bank of America wants It’s Great to Be Home. Vice Media wants Shelter in Place. Miley Cyrus has filed one for Bright Minded, her Instagram TV show created in response to the pandemic.

And, in the off chance you want to commemorate this nightmare with a lousy T-shirt, no fewer than five people have sought the trademark for “I Survived the Coronavirus.”

“It’s kind of like a goof, really," said Sean D. Green, 54, a family doctor from Ardmore who filed an application on March 26 for “COVID-19 Takes Down Covfefe,” a reference to one of President Trump’s more infamous typos.

“My sister has a T-shirt business and and we’re always coming up with stuff," Green said. “You never really know what’s going to catch on. It’s like a lottery ticket. You don’t really expect to win, but you play anyway.”

Josh Gerben, a Washington trademark lawyer and founder of Gerben Law Firm, said he’d counted more than 120 coronavirus-related applications as of last week. More are coming in. Each application costs $275.

“I wasn’t that impressed with everybody’s, to be honest,” Gerben said. “There could be some more creativity out there.”

Robert Dim, the 27-year-old entrepreneur behind the Darty Co. clothing brand, filed a trademark application for Social Distancing clothing on March 22 through his company in Sicklerville, Camden County.

“With social distancing in effect, I wanted to build out a street wear lifestyle brand called Social Distancing and have people just be able to represent themselves and what they stand for and believe,” Dim said. “There are people that I feel are really distinct from the world and don’t really communicate and talk to a lot of people on a daily basis.”

In hindsight, Dim doesn’t expect to be granted a trademark on a phrase that is now so widely used.

“Definitely a long shot at this point,” he said. “But anything’s possible, I guess.”

Gerben said trademark applications are usually rejected once a word or phrase has become ubiquitous. On the other hand, an application such as Shelter in Paradise — a resort-hotel concept riffing on shelter-in-place directives — might have a better chance.

Some applicants have even sought a trademark for the name of the virus and the disease themselves. They’re wasting their time — and money.

“If someone calls up and says, I want to file a trademark application for COVID-19, I’d ask, ‘Why?’” Gerben said. “The conversation would end pretty quickly.”

Bernitha Biggs, a mother of two and government employee from Hollywood, Fla., applied March 18 for a trademark for “Social Distancer Stop 6 Feet Please.” She thought it would be smart to put on T-shirts and hats to avoid awkward conversations with people who don’t respect social-distancing guidelines during the pandemic.

“People are really not taking it seriously,” Biggs said. “I had one lady that sneezed and just because she turned her back to me, she thought she didn’t have to cover her mouth. I was like, ‘Man, I wish I had a shirt.’”

As for the Corona-related applications, Gerben said Corona beer, owned by Anheuser-Busch Inbev, will likely be monitoring them and could challenge any that encroach on its territory.

“Corona beer is lurking in the background. They’re going to have brand concerns,” he said. “You may see them pop their head up on something like this.”