Yusuf Dikec, Turkey’s Olympic pistol shooter, has gained unexpected fame for his relaxed stance at the Paris Games, which went viral.
To protect its commercial use, Dikec is now applying for a trademark.
His coach, Erdinc Bilgili, informed AFP on Monday that they sought trademark protection with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office after discovering unauthorized attempts to trademark the pose.
“We submitted our application about a week ago upon learning of these attempts,” Bilgili said, noting that the other applications have been rejected.
Dikec’s poised pose sparked a wave of online memes, including comparisons to James Bond and a video by Tesla’s Elon Musk.
The stance, made during his silver medal win in the mixed-team 10m air pistol event with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, has been widely imitated by athletes like Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
Merchandise featuring Dikec’s pose, including T-shirts, mugs, and phone covers, has also appeared, according to TRT Haber.
The Turkish trademark office has not yet responded to AFP’s request for comment. In an August interview with AFP, Dikec explained that his hand-in-pocket stance was simply for maintaining balance and stability.