What’s That Sound?

Not many of us, even trademark attorneys, hear a trademark when they hear the sound of a lion roaring, a laugh, a duck quacking, a cheer, or the sound of an engine starting. Sometimes, however, what we hear is a trademark. The MGM lion, the laugh of the Jolly Green Giant, the AFLAC duck, the football cheer for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, the theme of the Lone Ranger, and the roar of a Harley-Davidson are just a few examples of many registered sound marks (for more, see http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/soundmarks).

What does a registration of a sound trademark look like?  Here is a fairly recent example for registration of a "hog call" cheer for "providing collegiate athletic and sporting events":