Gene Simmons says he has no regrets about filing for a trademark for the “devil horns” hand gesture associated with rock music, despite the fact that he withdrew his application shortly…
Gene Simmons says he has no regrets about filing for a trademark for the “devil horns” hand gesture associated with rock music, despite the fact that he withdrew his application shortly after filing it earlier this year. Not only does Simmons stand by his claim that he came up with the signature hand gesture — in which the index and pinky fingers and thumb are extended — but he says he’s the man behind a few other famous images and phrases, too.
In an interview with the Windsor Star, Simmons said he doesn’ t care about the criticism he faced after filing to trademark the iconic rock hand signal he often makes on stage and in photos. Gene revealed that his mantra is “let your conscience be your guide.”
“I regret nothing, ” Gene Simmons said of his widely criticized claim with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office.
In his application, the KISS founding member staked claim on the “devil horns” hand gesture, revealing he first made the gesture in the early 1970s. And Simmons now says there are several other random images and phrases that he “owns.”
“Did you know I own the money bag logo?” Simmons told the Windsor Star .
According to the Los Angeles Times, earlier this year Simmons, whose KISS nickname is the Demon, filed an application with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office to claim ownership of the “devil’s horns” gesture that he has been flashing to fans for decades. Simmons’ signed declaration, which included a hand-drawing of the symbol, included the rock legend’s claim that he first used the gesture on Nov. 14,1974, during KISS’s “Hotter Than Hell” tour.
Simmons’ reasoning for the trademark of the satanic symbol was to discourage another “person, firm, corporation or association… to use said mark in commerce, ” because it could cause confusion or be deceiving to KISS fans. Had Simmons’ trademark application been approved, the rocker would have been tasked with enforcing the mark.
Gene Simmons was widely panned when he initially filed for the trademark, most notably by Ronnie James Dio’s widow, Wendy Dio, who claimed her late husband used the horns symbol as a member of Rainbow and Black Sabbath, and Sharon Osbourne, who told The Talk Simmons was just trying to get “money from the merch where you see this.”
Years before he filed for the patent, Gene Simmons claimed ownership of the “devil’s horns” symbol in a TV interview, saying he “invented” it while trying to wave to female fans while holding a pick for his bass in his hand.
You can see Gene Simmons’ version of how he came up with the “devils’ horns” hand symbol in the video below.
[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
