Someone else is trying to trademark Tung Tung Tung Sahur—and the viral meme’s ownership fight is getting messier
The memes are getting lawyers.
Tung Tung Tung Sahur might be one of the internet’s most ridiculous viral characters, but the fight over who gets to profit from the wooden, bat-wielding meme is getting pretty serious. Another company is seeking to trademark its name in the United States, adding a fresh complication to an ongoing dispute over the character’s rights.
Innovatex Labs LLC filed an application for the name TUNG TUNG TUNG SAHUR in May 2025, seeking trademark protection for toys, including plush dolls and figurines. The company filed separate applications for other brainrot names like Tralalero Tralala. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published the TUNG TUNG TUNG SAHUR application for opposition on September 15, opening the door for other parties to challenge it.
Just a week later, Mementum Lab, the agency representing the character’s creator, requested more time to file an opposition. The USPTO granted the extension through January 13, 2027, according to the agency’s official docket.
That means Innovatex has not secured a registered trademark through this application, and Mementum has not yet filed a formal opposition in the docket. Still, the application puts another company in the picture as the character’s representatives continue trying to establish their own rights.
And this isn’t happening in isolation. Tung Tung Tung Sahur is already caught up in a separate legal battle over AI-generated characters used in a commercial game.
The meme already has a legal fight on its hands
Tung Tung Tung Sahur, also known as Triple T, was created in 2025 by an Indonesian teenager known online as Noxa, using OpenAI’s image-generation tool. The character became a breakout figure in the Italian brainrot meme trend, which spawned an entire universe of bizarre AI-generated characters. Its popularity has since extended into merchandise and video games, reviving questions about the controversy surrounding AI-generated art.
Mementum is currently involved in a lawsuit with Spyder Games LLC and Speedy Simulator Gaming LLC, the companies behind the Roblox game Steal a Brainrot. The developers challenged Mementum’s claims to the characters, arguing that AI-generated works may not qualify for copyright protection without sufficient human authorship. Mementum, which represents Noxa, has argued that human creative contributions to the characters and their associated material support its claims. The dispute remains unresolved, according to The Guardian’s report on the case.
Copyright and trademark law address different things, and a trademark application for a name does not automatically establish ownership of every image, video, or other creative work associated with that character. The distinction is especially important when several parties are pursuing rights connected to the same viral phenomenon.
Another trademark claim complicates things further
Innovatex’s application is not the only trademark filing involving the character’s name. Mementum has also sought U.S. trademark protection for TUNG TUNG SAHUR, a separate application that includes a stylized version of the log-like character holding a bat. That application remains pending, according to trademark records.
The two filings are not identical, but they show how competing claims can develop around a character’s name and appearance. Viral creators have faced this before, as when someone else filed to trademark “very demure” after the phrase took off.
The Innovatex application is specifically aimed at toys and related merchandise, meaning its outcome could affect who can use the name commercially for those products in the United States. Mementum’s request for more time gives the agency a chance to decide whether to formally challenge the application, but it does not itself settle who has the stronger claim.
For a meme that spread through social media because of its sheer absurdity, the legal proceedings are getting decidedly less silly. Between the pending trademark applications and the separate fight over AI-generated characters, Tung Tung Tung Sahur’s future as a commercial property is still up in the air.
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