In a tough market, some agents double down and get better at their jobs. Apparently, that’s not the go-to for everyone.
One Minnesota broker has drawn attention by suing a Canadian realtor for using his signature “arms out” realtor pose.
Kris Lindahl, whose website calls his Minnesota firm the “arms out real estate company,” is filing the suit. He’s alleging copyright infringement after Ontario-based realtor, Rob Golfi, signed an agreement promising not to use Lindahl’s intellectual property without his consent.
Golfi signed the agreement at a seminar on real estate marketing, taught by Lindahl. The Canadian realtor then used an “arms outstretched” pose in a marketing campaign, which somehow violated their agreement.
Real estate news source @therealdeal summed it up on Instagram.
Can you trademark an air hug?
We’re not the only ones wondering why someone would try to trademark a gesture literally everyone on the planet uses at some point.
What’s next? We’re looking at the handshake after closing a deal.
Win or lose, Lindahl’s got the spotlight for a day—even if he has to share it with the guy he’s suing.
Beyond the Pose
If you dig a little deeper, the lawsuit points to a particular election campaign spoof, which Lindahl posted in 2019 as a piece of marketing content.
Two years later, Golfi posted—you guessed it—an election campaign spoof.
Sure, Golfi uses the same pose at the end of the video. But the two scripts are also eerily similar:
Agents reacted
Agents reacted to the post with a mix of giddy disbelief, head-shaking, and thoughtful suggestions. We like the dance-off idea, but there’s room for more than one winning take on this jaw-dropping spectacle.
We can’t look away. And we blame commenters for making it that much more compelling.
Or it could fizzle out tomorrow. In any case, the thumbs-up sign is probably safe for now.
