In 2004, Donald Trump joined forces with NBC to produce and star in the TV reality show "The Apprentice." Contestants compete for a dream job with The Trump Organization and a hefty six-figure salary. When "The Apprentice" premiered on January 8, 2004, it immediately became a cultural phenomenon. The fabled New York department store Bloomingdales almost immediately began marketing a "You're Fired" T-shirt line, attempting to cash in on the line that Trump delivers to one contestant at the end of each episode. In March of 2004, looking to gain a monopoly on this powerful catchphrase, Trump filed a copyright request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.