Doja Cat is running out of lives on social media, and this time around, fans were far from impressed with her decision to trademark the popular slang term, “it’s giving.”
Doja Cat draw ire from social media for ‘it’s giving’ trademark
The rapper, whose bald head sparked outrage recently, is on the verge of launching her merch brand, a business move that’s long overdue.
According to documents filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Doja Cat Music is listed as the proprietor of the phrase “it’s giving”.
The patent was filed on 5 October 2021, and according to the document, which you can see below, the phrase will be used for Doja Cat’s merch which may include hats, pants, shirts, shoes, shorts, skirts, and socks, sweatshirts, jackets and sweat pants.
It remains unclear when Doja’s merch is set to drop. From what we understand, the rapper already has the online store front set up and is collecting emails for her mailing list.
Here is the teaser she dropped on Twitter, announcing her It’s Giving merch:
While a faction of Doja Cat fans were elated by the announcement, other commenters felt slighted by her decision to trademark a slang term whose origins are linked to urban culture icon Raymond ‘Rolling Ray’ Harper.
In fact, Ray surfaced in the midst of the backlash and attacked Doja Cat for stealing a phrase he claims he coined.
While the origins of the term remain contentious, placed in the appropriate context, Rolling Ray could have a valid argument to make about his influence in popularising “it’s giving” which, in ‘ebonics’, could be interpreted as a nod of approval.
Here are some of the reactions to Doja’s latest controversy: