Hack The Planet
Why We Registered the Beloved Trademark
A few years ago, we were looking at different taglines to create the Rotas motto. While thinking through hacker-centric lingo and pentesting terms, I remembered the famous phrase “Hack the Planet” from my teen years, and wasn’t surprised to see it was registered. Loving the concept still, I registered the trademark and adopted the motto “We Hack the Planet” for Rotas. Fast forward to 2025: “Hack the Planet” had been abandoned (you know I kept checking), so I decided to register the trademark. I didn’t do this to own it, restrict it, or corporatize hacker culture. With the trademark abandoned, I had a genuine concern that the phrase might one day fall into the hands of a Nolan Sorrento-type: someone who wanted to police it and make money from its use. I would rather see it protected for the community.
“Hack the Planet” started as a line from the movie Hackers, but over the years, it became something more. It turned into a kind of cultural flag for people who explore systems, solve problems creatively, and try to make broken things better. It has always carried a tone of curiosity, humor, and rebellion that never tipped into harm. In other words, it belongs to the hacker spirit, not to a boardroom. Losing that spirit to a legal department would be bananas.
“Losing that spirit to a legal department would be bananas.”
I made a decision that looks like a corporate move on paper, but is really more of a safeguard. By holding the trademark, I can help prevent someone from locking the phrase behind a brand wall or twisting it into something that works against the community that gave it life. This is closer to stewardship than ownership, similar to the old idea of patenting something only so it can remain available.
Rotas Security is a boutique penetration testing firm, and I am a hacker who also happens to run a business. I respect the culture that shaped me. Registering “Hack the Planet” is my way of saying that this phrase should stay open, playful, and rooted in the people who built it. We took it for the people, not from the people. So keep saying it loud and say it proud. Print it, post it, live, laugh, love it! And yes, the fact that filing paperwork might help preserve hacker culture is still a little bananas to me, but here we are.
Hack the Planet!
Nick Popovich
Nick is the founder and “hacker on staff”. He’s a lifelong learner and loves finding new ways to get under the hood of systems and networks. He is married and has three kids, who will one day appreciate his jokes.