It’s not a stretch to say that a guy that dressed like a demon and breathed fire for the first decade of his musical career (and for the past 20) might be a bit of an attention whore. KISS bassist and cofounder Gene Simmons has, in recent years, had his own reality show and declared in an interview with his son that rock was dead all while merchandising the hell out of the band. However, last week when it made the news that he was attempting to trademark the index/pinky “devil horns” salute, many thought he’d finally gone too far. Apparently, he must have as well, since he’s given up trying to claim ownership of it.
Yesterday, the US Patent and Tradmark Office updated Simmons’ request to “Dead/Application/Withdrawn/Abandoned,” stating it was “abandoned because the applicant filed an express abandonment.” Was it a very public backlash from pretty much anyone that’s ever thrown the horns that caused him to withdraw? Was it the fact that he wasn’t even doing it correctly? Or perhaps did he go into it knowing from the get-go that he wasn’t going to follow through, but would get a ton of press, which he did? Regardless, it’s probably making sign language enthusiasts everywhere relieved that they won’t have to pay Simmons every time they tell someone they love them.
