The sound of a can opening
Get ready to pour a Bud out for Bud. In 2013, Budweiser’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, attempted the uphill battle of trademarking a sound, specifically the sound of a Budweiser can opening. Unsurprisingly, just like Harley-Davidson, they lost.
The USPTO wasn’t convinced and denied the application, stating that “the applied-for mark is not inherently distinctive because all beverage cans make a highly similar sound.”