TikTok creator fights to keep her catchphrase

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From TikTok mainstays and Instagram stars to streaming heavyweights and YouTube legends, here's this year's biggest players.

Top updates

⛳️ The PGA Tour is teaming up with YouTube golfers for the Creator Classic.

🏷️ YouTube is expanding course access, enhancing Live Shopping features, and adding mobile AI content labels.

📞 HMD’s Barbie flip phone embraces nostalgia with style, ideal for a digital detox.

💬 Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov's hands-off approach to moderation may have backfired, leading to his arrest in France over criminal activities on the platform.

👀 YouTube's ad system placed major brand ads alongside controversial Project 2025 videos, raising concerns about ad placements and content moderation.

🎙️ Amazon’s podcast network Wondery acquired Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast in a $100 million deal, according to Variety.

🦠 Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the Biden administration pressured Meta to remove posts related to Covid-19 and he regrets that Meta was not more outspoken about it.

🧑🏽‍💻Threads is now testing posts that disappear within 24 hours with select users.

👀 TikTok is reportedly testing a feature that lets users create AI versions of their voices for text-to-speech in videos.

TikTok creator fights to keep her catchphrase

Jools LeBron, the TikTok star who made "Very Demure … Very Mindful" go viral, is now fighting to reclaim her own catchphrase. With over 2 million followers, LeBron’s content blew up, but she’s now caught in a legal mess because a man named Jefferson Bates in Washington swooped in to trademark her phrase first.

The legal fight: Blindsided by Bates’ move, LeBron admitted in a now-deleted TikTok that she “didn’t trademark fast enough,” potentially losing out on using her own catchphrase for merch and deals in Washington. But Raluca Pop, from Hive Social, stepped in to help by filing a trademark for a related phrase, planning to hand it over to LeBron.

What’s next? Legal experts say LeBron still has a strong chance. U.S. trademark law favors the first person to use a phrase, not just the first to file. LeBron could win if she acts quickly. This serves as a warning for creators: if your content goes viral, trademark it fast. Don’t let someone else profit from your creativity.

Why creators are taking control of talent management

Creators are stepping off the content treadmill and diving into talent management. YouTuber Isaiah “Wendigoon” Nichols, known for his conspiracy theory videos, is now part-owner of Mana Talent, a creator-friendly management firm.

Creators managing creators: Nichols, with nearly 4 million subscribers, was drawn to Mana because it felt different—more personal and understanding. "It’s like they actually get us," Nichols said. This connection inspired him to invest in the agency that originally managed him.

Mana Talent, co-owned by creators like Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White and Gina “Gibi ASMR” Klein, is growing fast. They prioritize deep relationships over sheer numbers, focusing on maximizing opportunities for the 250 creators they currently represent.

A new era in talent management: This trend isn’t just about Mana. More creators, like Pokimane with her agency RTS, are starting their own management firms, bringing a unique perspective that only a fellow creator could offer. As this movement gains momentum, expect more creators to ditch traditional management and take control of their careers, creating a new wave of talent management tailored for the creator economy.