Suleman wants to trademark 'Octomom' nickname

LOS ANGELES - "Octomom," the nickname that has dominated headlines for nearly three months, could belong to Nadya Suleman alone.

The mother of octuplets wants to trademark her moniker and filed two applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 10.

The applications said Suleman wants to put the Octomom name on television programs, clothing and disposable and cloth diapers.

The octuplets' birth on Jan 26 was heralded as a medical miracle, but the public's fascination with Suleman quickly soured as details of her life emerged. The divorced and unemployed mother has six other children at home; she has said all 14 children were conceived through in vitro fertilization.

Tabloids called her the "Octomom" and the name stuck.

Suleman's attorney, Jeff Czech, said two people have approached him with suggestions for products like children's clothes and dolls.

"She doesn't particularly care for the name but she thinks it's a good idea to protect it," he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "She has a sense of humor about it. "

Czech said a Texas-based video game company called Super Happy Fun Fun, Inc. also filed a trademark application for the name. Its Web site describes a game in which players "press down on Fertyle Myrtle's swollen belly, and another adorable bundle of joy will be brought into the world."

The company filed its application about a month ago and did not ask for permission, Czech said. Typically, the first person to file an application receives the right to use the name, he added.

"But in this case, it's more than just the name. It's become a person," he said. "When it becomes so associated with a name or a person, it is protectable."

A service of the Associated Press(AP)