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Not only can Dwayne Johnson smell what The Rock is cooking, he can monetize it now, too.
Last month, WWE owner TKO Group Holdings added Johnson to its board of directors. In conjunction with the move, the company also granted Johnson the intellectual property and trademark rights to his WWE stage name: The Rock.
However, a new filing from TKO shows that Johnson received more than just the rights to his alter ego, he also received a bounty of intellectual property rights and trademarks, from nicknames to catchphrases.
That includes The Rock, of course, as well as his signature tagline: “If you smell what the Rock's cooking.” But it also includes other nicknames, such as “The Brahma Bull”, “The People's Champion” and “The Samoan Sensation” as well as the names of some of his signature finishing moves: “Rock Bottom” and “People's Elbow”.
Funnily enough, the deal also gives Johnson the intellectual property rights to some of The Rock's infamous in-ring insults.
According to a copy of the Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement signed by TKO and Johnson (that was Included In TKO's most recent 10-K), Johnson now owns the intellectual property rights to slogans that include: “Jabroni,” “Candy Ass,” “Roody Poo,” and “Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth.”
Johnson joined TKO's board of directors in January, just days before Vince McMahon resigned from the company, somewhat overshadowing the news. TKO also granted Johnson a $30 million stock award in connection with the agreement, over time. Johnson will also still be able to collect royalties in connection with sales of merchandise bearing Rock's trademarks (including, potentially, cheeseburgers and candy).
According to a source, WWE has been licensed to use The Rock's IP for certain categories and products for 10 years, during which time Johnson cannot license the IP to companies competing with TKO.
In addition, Johnson was given “other nicknames, caricatures, voice, signature, gestures, routines, costumes or parts of costumes, accessories, or clothing.” [and] Crowns” associated with his WWE character.
You can see a full list of the intellectual property rights and trademarks provided by WWE and TKO to Johnson below, in an excerpt from the filing.
“Rock IP” means any and all intellectual property rights throughout the world at any time owned by the TKO Group Parties, or any of its affiliates, whether registered or unregistered, in relation to (a) the following ring names and logos: ” “The Rock”, “Rocky Maivia”, “Team Corporate”, “Rock Nation”, “The Nation”, “Roody Poo”, “Candy Ass”, “Jabroni”, “If You Smell What The Rock's Cooking”, “The Samoan Feel”, “The Blue Chipper”, “The Brahma Bull”, “The People's Champion”, “The Great One”, “Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth”, “The Team Bring It”, “Just the Rock Bring It”. “It's” , “People's Elbow”, “Rock Bottom”, “Finally, Rock is Back…”, “No Matter What…”, “Blue Hell”, “Millions… (And Millions)”, “Rockpocalypse”, “Project Rock” and “The Sexiest Man in Sports and Entertainment.”
“Freelance entrepreneur. Communicator. Gamer. Explorer. Pop culture practitioner.”
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