University of Arkansas Trademarks the Hog Call®, the Sound Of It

Welcome to 2014, where the University of Arkansas has now made the Hog Call® a registered trademark.

According to Forbes.com

Earlier this month, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted registration of the sensory mark to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas.  The type of mark is atypical among commonly registered trademarks.  Instead of it consisting of a word or design, it is a sound.  Specifically, the University of Arkansas has received federal protection of Arkansas-influenced crowd cheers consisting of the "Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!" chant in conjunction with providing collegiate athletic and sporting events.

If you don't know how the Hog Call goes, I'm really surprised you're reading this article, but the words are as follows.

Woooo Pig Sooie!

Woooo Pig Sooie!

Woooo Pig Sooie!... Razorbacks!

(If you want more discussion on the proper way to Call the Hogs then please find any thread on a well known Razorback Bulletin Board where the topic inevitably comes up. Note: if you think it includes anything relating to a wolf howl, you may be publicly shunned.)

That whole thing is now a registered trademark. Not just the words, but the actual sound. However that works.

So why trademark an expression like the Hog Call® ?  I don't really know, but if I had to speculate, if many people started trying to use the Hog Call or other universities etc. it would blur the lines on where the Hog Call® originated, where it came from, and who the identifying entity it's associated with was.  This is just the U of A's way of saying "This is ours".

So remember, next time you Call Those Hogs, make sure you say "Trademark University of Arkansas" at the end.