“Hakuna Matata” is a common expression in Swahili, a language spoken in a large part of Africa, and it became popular in the West after the original version of “The Lion King” was released in 1994.

Trademark experts said the issue had been blown out of proportion by confusion over intellectual property rights and what the trademark actually entails.

The trademark does not mean that the company owns the phrase, or that it can ban anyone from using it. Disney filed the trademark upon the release of the original movie for clothing or footwear it sells in the United States, as a way to protect itself against other companies that might try to exploit the Disney brand.

“Disney’s registration for ‘Hakuna Matata,’ which was filed in 1994, has never and will not prevent individuals from using the phrase,” a press officer for the company said on Thursday. “Indeed, for many years, trademarks have been registered for popular words and phrases such as ‘Yahoo!’, ‘Vaya con Dios (Go with God),’ ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Seasons Greetings’ without impeding the use of these phrases and words in any cultural way.”

Apple, for instance, has a trademark over what is essentially a fruit, but there are limits to its ability to limit other companies from using the word or image of an apple: Other firms cannot print the word or the symbol on goods with the intention of misguiding consumers to think they are buying an Apple product. (In fact, the technology company fought a long legal battle with Apple Corps, the company that manages rights to The Beatles’ work, over the use of the apple logo and name.)