hollywoodreporter.com
JUNE 14, 2017
Gene Simmons Seeks to Register Trademark on Iconic Rock Hand Gesture
"Index and pinky fingers up. Thumb perpendicular. Some say it's the devil's horns. The Kiss rocker says it's his."
Thumb up or thumb down?
Kiss frontman Gene Simmons is awaiting the signal from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after he filed an application Friday for a trademark on a hand gesture. Rock fans are probably familiar with the sight. Here's the drawing that's included in the application:
tsdr.uspto.gov
According to Simmons, this hand gesture was first used in commerce Nov. 14, 1974. That appears to correspond with Kiss' Hotter Than Hell tour.
Speaking of hell, the hand gesture appears quite similar to what's known as the "Sign of the horns," a devil signal that, according to an entertaining entry from Wikipedia, dates back to the 5th Century BC founder of Buddhism. It's also the American Sign Language gesture for "I love you."
Simmons is claiming the hand gesture mark for "entertainment, namely, live performances by a musical artist; personal appearances by a musical artist."