In May, a month before he was set to stand trial in a sexual assault case, Bill Cosbyfiled legal paperwork to renew the rights to Fat Albert and specifically the “hey, hey, hey” catchphrase.
The comedian is renewing the rights to the “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” cartoon that propelled him to fame, with plans to put the trademarked material on shirts and DVDs whether or not he is in jail.
Cosby recently raised eyebrows and headlines when he was exiting the courthouse on the second day of his sexual assault trial. He shouted out the “hey, hey, hey” catchphrase associated with the character of Fat Albert, which might have been a marketing ploy in the light of this trademark information, but most people saw it as in poor taste.
Cosby’s sexual assault trial ended in a mistrial when the jury could not come to a unanimous decision. Prosecutors have said that they will retry him, so there is still the distinct possibility that Cosby will be selling those Fat Albert shirts and DVDs from jail.
