It's not what you say, it's how quickly you trademark it

(Reuters) - Ideas were flying at a brainstorming session to create a slogan for North Carolina county Democrats when Catherine Cloud blurted out a phrase that made a colleague's eyes light up: "Because this is America."

The words were quickly scrawled on a notepad and the New Hanover County Democratic Party in Wilmington, North Carolina, began its scramble to own the phrase - applying just days later for a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.