Bad Bunny Trademarked...Cheese?
What Bad Bunny's Trademark Strategy Teaches Founders About Protecting the Culture You Create. | I Am What an Intellectual Property Attorney Looks Like.
Hey Fam,
Imagine starting your career uploading songs to SoundCloud.
No label.
No cosign.
No English.
Just you, your voice, and your culture.
Now imagine that ten years later you’re standing on the biggest stage in the world.
128 million people watching.
The first solo Latino artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
Performing almost entirely in Spanish.
From Puerto Rico.
For Puerto Rico.
That's Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
Known to the world as Bad Bunny.
And while the world was focused on the performance —
his legal team was already working.
Let me break it down.
By the time he took that stage on February 8, 2026, he had already filed several trademark applications, including:
BAD BUNNY for disposable cameras.
BAD BUNNY for stuffed toys.
DEBÍ TIRAR MÁS FOTOS — his album title — for cameras (that’s….genius because his album translates to “I should’ve taken more photos.”)
BENITO ANTONIO for ties and belts.
LOS SOBRINOS for T-shirts and audio recordings.
CAFÉ CON RON for apparel.
NUEVAYOL for sports jerseys.
SEGUIMO' AQUÍ for pop-up retail and restaurant services.
CONCHO for plush toys.
PR ESTÁ BIEN CABRÓN for sneakers.
He even filed for cheese.
Not a metaphor.
International Class 029.
Cheese.
This is not a man waiting to be exploited.
This is a man who understands that cultural power without legal protection is just borrowed time.
So in this Founder’s Letter, we’re going to break down three ways founders can secure their brand before the spotlight arrives.
Ready?
Let’s get into it.
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The Last Workshop of the Power Moves Series Is Here
The final workshop in our Power Moves Series is happening this week—and you don’t want to miss it.
This session will focus on Issa Rae and the intellectual property strategy behind her career. We’ll break down how a web series turned into a media empire, and how thoughtful IP structuring allowed her to expand into television, beauty, and consumer brands.
During the workshop, we’ll explore:
• How creators turn ideas into ownable intellectual property
• The difference between creation, structuring, and commercialization
• How Issa Rae leveraged partnerships to scale brands like Sienna Naturals and VIARAE
• The tried and true strategy that allows Issa to expand across industries
More importantly, we’ll translate those lessons into practical takeaways you can apply directly to your own business.
EVENT #4 — THE POWER MOVES SERIES: ISSA RAE | March 12, 2026
And of course, as with all of our events, it’s also a great networking opportunity to connect with other founders, creators, and thought leaders who are thinking seriously about ownership, leverage, and longevity.
I’m really excited about this one. Hope to see you there.
Registration is FREE; in case you’re unable to make it, sign up and you’ll get the free notes.
After event recordings are $20.00 each.
Hope to see you there!
🔗 Sign up here: https://bit.ly/m/FFTC-Events
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program…. :)
Power Move #1 — File Before the Spotlight
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime announcement came on September 28, 2025.
And shortly after that announcement, the trademark filings began rolling in.
Not after the performance.
Not after the headlines.
Not after the merch sold out.
Before.
So by the time Bad Bunny was dancing on stage with Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, turning up with Cardi B, and performing in front of 128 million viewers, he already had several trademark applications in motion.
Which meant something important.
He had priority of filing.
And in trademark law, priority is everything.
Because the first person to file is often the first person with the legal right to claim the brand.
That filing priority allowed him to beat the inevitable wave of copycats, opportunists, and fast filers who try to ride the coattails of cultural moments.
This is something I tell my clients all the time:
Prepare for the overflow.
When attention concentrates around a name, a phrase, or a brand, demand moves quickly.
Trademark law does not.
In fact, it can take eight months or more for the USPTO to even assign an examiner to review an application.
Which means the time to file is not when the spotlight hits.
It’s before the moment arrives.
Because the spotlight isn’t just visibility.
It’s a window.
And windows close.
DEBÍ TIRAR MÁS FOTOS is such a beautiful album title.
Translated as “I should’ve taken more photos,” the title carries a quiet sense of nostalgia — a reflection on moments that passed too quickly and the memories we wish we had captured.
But even more than that, DEBÍ TIRAR MÁS FOTOS is a brand.
It’s merchandise.
It’s a licensing opportunity.
It’s intellectual property.
And Bad Bunny’s team treated it that way.
Shortly after the album’s release, trademark applications were filed covering a range of goods — including cameras and disposable cameras.
At first glance, that might seem random.
But it isn’t.
Because the album itself is built around a cultural idea: memory, nostalgia, documentation, capturing moments before they disappear.
A camera fits that narrative perfectly.
And that’s the real strategy.
The album title isn’t just the name of a project.
It’s a commercial platform.
It can live on products.
It can appear in collaborations.
It can be licensed into entirely new markets.
And into an entirely new revenue stream that will live on when the spotlights don’t.
Most founders treat their frameworks, phrases, and creative work solely as content.
Go viral for a moment.
Get a bunch of like…for a moment.
And then fade into oblivion.
But Benito? Oh, he different.
Bad Bunny treats his as intellectual property.
And that distinction matters.
Because while content gets shared.
Intellectual property gets owned.
And owned assets can be licensed, protected, and monetized for years.
Not gonna lie…
I love when people protect not just one brand, but the entirety of their infrastructure.
Because here’s the thing.
Bad Bunny didn’t just trademark “Bad Bunny.”
He trademarked Benito Antonio.
He trademarked Benito Ocasio.
He filed for protection around the phrases embedded in his music.
Around the cultural language his audience repeats.
Around the identity he performs on stage — and the one he carries off of it.
In other words, he didn’t just protect a brand.
He protected the entire ecosystem of his identity.
Because in modern culture, a creator’s name is more than a label.
It’s infrastructure.
Your name is the anchor that holds everything else together — the music, the merch, the collaborations, the licensing deals, the endorsements, the businesses you haven’t even launched yet.
And if that foundation isn’t secured, everything built on top of it becomes fragile.
Think about the numerous artists who’ve lose their names to labels.
Doechii doesn’t own her brand.
Beyonce doesn’t own Destiny’s Child.
Nick Cannon doesn’t own Wild ‘n Out.
So artists risks losing their likeness to AI models.
And losing their phrases to faster filers.
But Bad Bunny understood the risk.
So he built a wall around his identity.
And then he stepped on stage.
After he already claimed what was his.
He entered the global stage in Spanish.
Unapologetically Puerto Rican.
Without softening a single thing.
And the world adjusted.
But my favorite part in all of this?
The source of his courage.
His fearlessness.
His risk taking and confidence.
That boldness didn't just come from cultural pride (although culture was a HUGE part of it).
It also came from ownership.
When you know your name is protected — when your work is registered — when your IP is yours —
you move differently.
You negotiate differently.
You build differently.
The question isn't whether your work has cultural value.
The question is whether you've claimed it.
Because culture moves fast.
Trademark law moves slower.
But it lasts longer.
File before the spotlight finds you.
Ready to protect yours?
If your biggest moment happened tomorrow, would your name already be protected?
Let’s talk in the comments.
Want help figuring out whether your name—or brand—is ready for trademark protection?
We’ve got you.
Book a Strategy Session with Firm for the Culture and let’s make sure your name isn’t just recognized—it’s protected.
Need Help Protecting Your Creativity?
If you are unsure—or if you know you need to take action—reach out to us.
We have helped countless founders and creatives safeguard their intellectual property, and we would love to do the same for you.
If you need further guidance, reach out to me and my team at Firm for the Culture.
We’re here to help you navigate the copyright, trademark, and thought leadership journey.
Can’t wait to help you protect your dynamic impact.
And #ThatsAWrap
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Thanks for reading
See you next time.