Gene Simmons wants to lay claim to the "devil horns," a popular hand gesture used by fans of hard rock and heavy metal.
According to Pitchfork, Simmons filed an application with the United States Patent and TradeMark Office to lay claim to the gesture seen in the photo above. He claims to have first used it on November 14, 1974. Simmons is gesturing the devil horns on KISS' sixth studio album, 1977's Love Gun.
The devil horns have long been associated with Ronnie James Dio, who popularized their use in heavy metal after joining Black Sabbath in 1979. Dio claimed to have gotten the idea for the hand gesture from his grandmother, who used it to ward off the evil eye.
Even earlier, the hand gesture can be seen being made by The Beatles' John Lennon around the Yellow Submarine era in 1969, and the same year on the artwork for Coven's Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls.
Will Simmons be awarded the patent? We think no one should.