Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec files application to trademark his pose

Yusuf Dikec, Olympic silver medallist sharpshooter from Turkey, has filed an application to trademark his nonchalant pose at the Paris Olympics that went viral worldwide, AFP reported quoting the sharpshooter's coach as saying on Monday.

The coach Erdinc Bilgili stated that Dikec decided to keep the commercial use of his stance with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office after some entities attempted to trademark it without the sharpshooter’s consent.

"After being informed of numerous trademark registration initiatives carried out without Yusuf Dikec's knowledge, we submitted an application about a week ago," Bilgili told AFP, adding that the "other applications have been rejected".

Dikec's apparent sangfroid inspired a flood of memes online, some comparing him to fictional spy James Bond, while billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk shared a video of himself striking the stance.

His pose also became widely imitated among his fellow athletes since he won silver, Turkey's first medal in the mixed-team 10m air pistol, with teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson also copied it on Sunday as he celebrated scoring against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League.

Various bits of memorabilia bearing his likeness have gone on sale, T-shirts, mugs and mobile phone covers among them, Turkish news channel TRT Haber reported.

The Turkish trademark office did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.

In an interview with AFP at the beginning of August, Dikec said there was a natural explanation for his hand-in-pocket technique.

"I only do it to keep my body more stable, to keep my balance. There's nothing more to it," he said.