Is the prohibition on disparaging marks unconstitutional?
22 April 2015
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Peter Leung, Washington DC
The Federal Circuit affirmed the USPTO’s rejection of an application for the The Slants mark on the grounds that the term was disparaging to Asians. After drafting the court’s opinion, Judge Kimberly Moore penned an “additional views” section questioning the constitutionality of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act
In re Tam involved a registration for the mark The Slants by a member of an Asian-American rock band of the same name (pictured). The trade mark office rejected the application finding that the mark was derogatory and thus in...
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