# How do I copyright a phrase?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-copyright-a-phrase/948630>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 13, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-copyright-a-phrase/948630 "2021-08-13T21:51:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 24

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**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2021, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-copyright-a-phrase/948630/24 "2021-08-14T08:13:01Z")

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> [@Hatchie](#):
>
> Anyone remember a thread posted several years ago on one of the forums here, where the poster had taken a video of someone “very famous” doing something “amazing” in a chance encounter in a park in (I think) London, which was “guaranteed” to go viral and the poster wanted advice on how to monetize it - but wouldn’t drop even a vague hint about who was in it or what amazing thing the person did?

Oh yes, [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014)! We never did get closure on that, although most of the guesses centered around Ian McKellen.

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