Petition Urges Disney to Drop Trademark of Swahili Phrase ‘Hakuna Matata’

Producer Don Hahn at The Lion King Sing-Along at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in celebration of the in-home release, hosted by Walt Disney Studios and Fandango in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2017. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

A petition urging Disney to release the company’s trademark on the common Swahili phrase “Hakuna Matata” has been signed by more than 110,000 people in the past three weeks.

The phrase means “no problem” or “no worries” in English and was used in a popular children’s song produced for the 1994 animated film, The Lion King.