Watching Simpsons

In the corporate world, copyright infringement may lead to more than just a lawsuit. Sometimes, terrible things come with lawsuits, and bad publicity could be one of them. Still, even when company or corporation tries to step gingerly, the results may not end up being what they originally intended. Such is the case with Washington Mutual, or, as they been known to be called, WaMu. The bank and financial company has sought a catchy marketing slogan, and as a result, they ended up with “Whoo Hoo!” Yes, that’s “Whoo” with an “h,” not “woo.” The H makes no sense, since the word looks more like “Who,” making it sound like “hoo hoo.” Why has WaMu resorted to this strangeness?

The Simpsons. In the show’s long run, many things have become iconic, whether it’s Bart Simpson saying “Cowabunga” or “Eat My Shorts.” There’s always Nelson’s “Ha Ha!” accompanied by a pointed, mocking finger. Flanders sticks “diddly” on nearly every thing he says, and Mr. Burns has his evil expression of, “Excellent!” So, how did Simpsons-speak affect WaMu?” Homer has been known to raise both arms and exclaim, “Woo Hoo!” And, according to WaMu, any appearance of copyright infringement is a cause to proceed carefully. After all, business execs cringe at thought of any sort of brand confusion.

The irony, however, is that Matt Groening hasn’t pursued a copyright on “Woo Hoo.” Monica Guzman points out, in her Seattle Post Intelligencer Big Blog, is that other people hold trademarks on “Woo Hoo” variations.

Four live trademarks exist for variations on “Woo hoo” that I’ve found, though none belong to “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, as one blogger thought it might. The Iowa Lottery Commission has one. Mattel, Inc. has a another. New Digital Media has a third.

Most times, one might think companies, like Burger King, would profit from associating with the Simpsons. However, this is just another case, like that of the Taurus, where it’s shows existence in corporate consciousness that’s causing the problem, not the show itself.

The Simpsons, Homer, Homer Simpson, Woo Hoo, WaMu, Washington Mutual, Marketing