After the Ice Bucket Challenge to support ALS went viral, the organization had filed to trademark the phrases, but after a public backlash they have withdrawn the filings with the U.S. Patent office, the Huffington Post reported.

In a statement on Aug. 29, the ALS Association released a statement to address the issue and offer an explanation about why they took the step -- which would have given them the power to file suit against anyone using the terms Ice Bucket Challenge and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

"We've received several messages regarding the trademark applications we filed. We filed for these trademarks in good faith as a measure to protect the Ice Bucket Challenge from misuse after consulting with the families who initiated the challenge this summer. However, we understand the public's concern and are withdrawing the trademark applications. We appreciate the generosity and enthusiasm of everyone who has taken the challenge and donated to ALS charities," according to the statement on Facebook.

The bucket challenge wasn't originally to support ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gherig's disease, according to Mashable.

According to Facebook data, the ice bucket challenge began six weeks before it was tied to ALS, on June 8, before going viral, Mashable reported.

Currently, the challenge has raised more than $94 million from the bucket challenge, according to the Washington Post.

The outrage over the trademark filings resulted from the legal actions that could be taken if they were approved.

A trademark attorney in Virginia, Erik Pelton, blogged about the issue, according to the Washington Post, "The reasons in general one seeks to protect a trademark is to prevent others from using it. I find this to be shameful, because I hope that they would never consider ... preventing some other charity from using the phrase."