New York ( CNN ) -- A Long Island couple wants to trademark the slogan `` Occupy Wall St. '' with the intent to sell sweatshirts , T-shirts , bumper stickers and hobo bags , among other merchandise . `` I 'm no marketing genius , but when you got something that 's across 50 states , it 's a brand now , '' said 44-year-old Robert Maresca of West Islip , New York . Maresca 's wife , Diane , filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on October 18 and paid a fee of $ 975 . The move has some Occupy Wall Street supporters perplexed . `` The goal of OWS is not to become a profitable business , '' said Tyler Combelic , an Occupy Wall Street spokesman . `` Anything that misconstrues it as such , such as trademarking for the sake of profiting , is missing the point of protest . '' But Robert Maresca sees things differently . `` I 'm the best person they could imagine buying the slogan , because no one has their interest more than myself , '' he said . `` This is an important slogan ; somebody else might have gotten a hold of it . '' A former union iron worker , Maresca is now a stay-at-home father of three after suffering a stroke and sustaining a work injury nine years ago . He said he became a supporter of Occupy Wall Street once the union began backing the cause . `` I 'm also really against corporate money distorting elections , '' he said . Maresca , who calls himself a `` fiscally conservative but socially liberal '' political independent , said his idea stemmed from creating shirts drawn with markers down on Wall Street . But it was his wife -- whom he describes as apolitical -- who filed the application because Maresca does not have a credit card . But Combelic said Maresca 's attempt runs counter to the Occupy Wall Street mission . `` I think they are taking what is meant to represent 99 % of America and instead making it represent an individual , '' he said . Steve Mancinelli , an intellectual property lawyer in New York , said legally , `` you do n't get to own words because you think them up . '' He said that the Marescas ' `` intent of use '' application would be approved if they have a `` bona fide intention '' to produce items for commerce . It would take two to three months until the application is reviewed , at which point a separate `` use '' application will need to be submitted , Mancinelli said . Trademark privileges would give the Marescas ' ownership of `` Occupy Wall St. '' the brand , as well as the use of such text on merchandise labels . Mancinelli said he , too , was confused that `` someone from the OWS gang , which has demonstrated anti-capitalist ideals , would engage in a fundamental capitalist activity , like trademarking . '' When asked where proceeds would go , Robert Maresca said , `` it 's my intent to have them ( Occupy Wall Street supporters ) get the maximum benefit possible after any expenses . '' While Maresca said it was too soon to make any promises , `` it is my hope to transfer ownership of the trademark to OWS if it 's feasible . '' He said he would even sell the trademark to Occupy Wall Street members , if they wanted it , for just $ 1 -- after they repaid his expenses . Combelic said he does n't think fellow Occupy Wall Street protesters will be too eager to don trademarked `` Occupy '' clothing . `` We already make T-shirts down there for free , screen-printing on site , '' he said . `` We think that organic individual marketing -- making our own buttons or T-shirts -- is more valuable . ''
Robert Maresca wants to use the slogan to sell clothes , stickers and accessories . An Occupy Wall Street spokesman says effort misses the point of the movement . Maresca says he hopes to transfer trademark ownership to Occupy Wall Street members . An intellectual property lawyer estimates the application will be reviewed in two to three months .