Trademark: ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT

First Used: 2013

First Registered: 2018

Current Owner: J.K. Livin Brands, Inc. (Matthew McConaughey) [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; non-traditional trademark; sound mark; motion mark

Primarily Associated With: clothing [2], downloadable audio-visual media content [3], and entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by an actor and celebrity [4]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [5]:

“Alright alright alright.” With those three words in the 1993 movie Dazed and Confused, Matthew McConaughey the movie star was born. But did you know that the iconic catchphrase wasn’t actually in the original script?

McConaughey, in his first major film role, improvised the line between takes. As recounted in People magazine: "I started to go, Well, who's my man? Who's Wooderson? I said, Wooderson loves his car, and I'm like, well, I'm in my car. There's one. I said, Wooderson loves rock and roll... well, I got Ted Nugent in the 8-track. There's two. I said, Wooderson loves to get high, and I'm like, well, Slater's riding shotgun. He's always got a doobie rolled up. Then I said Wooderson likes picking up chicks … Then all of a sudden, I heard, 'Action!' As I put it in drive, I thought to myself, 'I got three out of four and I'm going to get the fourth. Alright, alright, alright. That was three affirmations for the thing that my character had as he was going to get his fourth. It was a kick-starter.”

“Alright alright alright” is also a rare trademark trifecta. The phrase itself is a registered wordmark (ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT®), the sound of McConaughey speaking the phrase is a registered sound mark (Alright Alright Alright sound mark), and the movement of McConaughey as he delivers the line is a registered motion mark (Alright Alright Alright motion mark).

We know what you are thinking: “Why?” or maybe “That’s ridiculous.” So why all the trademark registrations? Well, you can thank AI. This multi-prong approach of trademark protection was designed by McConaughey and his legal team in an attempt to stop AI apps or users from simulating the actor's voice or likeness without his permission. Will it work? Hard to say! But it’s a creative (and very on-brand) approach in the early days of AI-driven impersonation.