In the U.S., people have claimed the word for licence plates.

U.S. President Donald Trump created the mysterious word “covfefe”, but a Swedish entrepeneur now owns one of the most tweeted terms on social media.

Per Holknekt, a 57-year-old fashion designer and entrepeneur said that he had trademarked “covfefe”, giving him exclusive commercial rights to the term across Europe.

‘Newest and most used’

“It’s the newest and the most used word in the world... I’m surprised no one thought about trademarking it,” said Mr. Holknekt.

Any company that now wants to use “covfefe” commercially will have to ask Mr. Holknekt for permission. It cost him only 3,600 Swedish kronor (₹26,700) to register the name with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office in Stockholm.

It will take eight weeks for the application to be stamped and finalised, Mr. Holknekt said.

Just after midnight on Tuesday, Mr. Trump tweeted the word in an incomplete sentence: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe”.

The tweet remained online for over five hours, unleashing a flood of humour and ridicule on the Internet.

Mr. Trump later poked fun at it, saying, “Who can figure out the true meaning of ‘covfefe’ ??? Enjoy!”

“It’s easy to understand that (Trump) meant to say ‘coverage’ but it turned into a funny incident that I can capitalise on,” said Mr. Holknekt, who has trademarked 32 brands throughout his career.

He said he trademarked the term to cover confectionery, advertisements, communication and coffee. “But it doesn’t sound like a delicious coffee,” Mr. Holknekt said with a chuckle. “I hope Donald Trump finds out about this.”

Plate craze

In the United States, the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles has confirmed that someone claimed COVFEFE for a personalised licence plate just hours after Mr. Trump’s tweet. Local media report it’s also happening in other states, including Nebraska and North Carolina.

(With inputs from AP)