University of Texas takes issue with Gene Simmons’ devil horns’ copyright claim

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By Craig Hlavaty, Chron.com / Houston Chronicle

Published 12:16 pm, Friday, June 16, 2017

Photo: Getty Images

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HOOK ‘EM: Longhorn traditions

In addition to being the go-to gesture for rockers, this hand gesture is also the American Sign Language sign for love and also very similar to the University of Texas “Hook ‘Em” symbol. Longhorns are not happy about KISS frontman Gene Simmons’ attempt to copyright it.

Click through to learn more about the traditions of the University of Texas…

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HOOK ‘EM: Longhorn traditions

In addition to being the go-to gesture for rockers, this hand gesture is also the American Sign Language sign for love and also very similar to the University of Texas “Hook ‘Em”

… more

Photo: Getty Images

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Things to know about University of Texas in Austin

Hex Rally: When the Longhorns went 18 years without beating Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station, students in 1941 consulted a local fortune teller who told them to burn red candles a week before the game to stop the jinx and put a hex on the Aggies. When the Longhorns won, the tradition continued and grew.

Read more….

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Things to know about University of Texas in Austin

Hex Rally: When the Longhorns went 18 years without beating Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station, students in 1941 consulted a local fortune teller who … more

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Good luck squirrel: An albino squirrel roams the University of Texas campus. According to UT legend, if a student sees it the day of a test, it will bring good luck.

Photo: Al Behrman, AP

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Branded Bevo: Bevo, the school’s mascot, got his name after Texas A&M branded him with “13-0,” the Aggies winning score to the 1915 face-off. Longhorns turned the “13” to a “B,” the dash to an “E,” added a “V” in front of the “0.” less

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Color Change: The school colors weren’t always burnt orange and white. When the 1885 baseball team was traveling for a game, the student body needed ribbons to show spirit. Because the two colors the store keeper had the most in stock were burnt orange and white, those became the colors. The school tried other colors (even maroon before A&M claimed it), but reverted back to the original. less

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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Presidential Love: Love letters sent by Lyndon Johnson, then a 26-year-old congressional aide, to Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Taylor, then 21, can be seen at the LBJ Presidential Library on UT grounds. The federally run presidential library is separate from the university. less

Photo: Eric Gay, Associated Press

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World’s Largest Texas Flag: Members of Alpha Phi Omega unveil the world’s largest Texas flag during every home football game and at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Photo: Erich Schlegel, Getty

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Hook ’em sign: The hand signal was invented by UT head cheerleader Harley Clark in 1955. Little did he know that it means something offensive in Italy.

Photo: Associated Press

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Alumni are alright, alright, alright: Matthew McConaughey graduated from UT and can often be seen on the sidelines at football games. Other famous alumni include Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael Dell, Earl Campbell, Richard Linklater, Owen Wilson, Lady Bird Johnson, Jon Hamm, Wes Anderson, Farrah Fawcett, Kevin Durant, Renee Zellweger and Janis Joplin, to name a few. less

Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Big Bertha: The band’s famous “largest drum in the world,” more than 90 years old and is 8 feet in diameter, 41 inches wide and more than 10 feet high when mounted on the carriage.

Photo: File Photo

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Texas Fight: During football games, one side of the stadium will yell “Texas” and the other side will yell “fight.” When taking a bus downtown at 1:30 a.m. on a Friday, one drunk guy will lead this chant with one side of the bus yelling “Texas” and other side yelling “fight.” less

Photo: Brian Bahr, Getty Images

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Honoring the dead: A fountain on the South Mall of campus, known as the Littlefield Fountain, honors university students who died fighting in World War I.

Photo: Larry Kolvoord

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“Eyes of Texas”: The school song is sang to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

Photo: Tom Pennington, Getty Images

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Not all cheerleaders are the same: There are two spirit squads. One group wears cheerleader uniforms and does flips after touchdowns. The other group wears chaps and are called the Pom Squad.

Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News

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By now we all know that KISS frontman Gene Simmons has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking to trademark the “rock on” or “devil horns” hand gesture. He claims he’s been doing it since 1974, and and being Gene Simmons he wants to start making money from it.

PREVIOUS: Gene Simmons of Kiss tries to trademark the sign language gesture for ‘love’

Many also know it as the American Sign Language gesture for love, but in the Lone Star State it’s better known as the University of Texas “hook ’em” gesture.

University of Texas President Greg Fenves tweeted this week to Simmons that the gesture has been a part of Longhorn tradition since the 1950s, likely before Simmons picked up a guitar.

At least two sources have dated the usage of the gesture by Longhorn faithful back to 1955. It became one of the most recognizable (and polite) hand gestures in college sports in the years after.

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The late metal legend Ronnie James Dio was long ago deemed the unofficial pioneer of the heavy metal gesture. Even Dio’s widow says that it doesn’t and shouldn’t belong to anyone though, like the phrase “Taco Tuesdays” or the “Happy Birthday” song.

Simmons has been known to sell and or commodify anything he can think of. There are even KISS caskets and maybe soon enough KISS oxygen tanks for aging boomers.