An Asian band wants to own the slur and call themselves the "Slants." The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had declared that the band could not use that name because it is disparaging. The Washington football team had filed an amicus brief in the case. Interestingly, the lead band member is no fan of Dan Snyder and does not want the case associated with the pro football team. The cases are not similar. In one instance, a band wants to empower itself and own the slur. In another case, an owner of a football team who is not Native American wants to use a name that is a racial slur and that all the Native Americans I know find to be deeply offensive. In one case, the issue is empowerment. In the other case, the issue is cultural appropriation by a majority culture. It would be nice if the law allowed the Asian band to call itself whatever it wants but not allow a trademark for a team that is not Native American and is using a slur for Native Americans. I am not sure the law works that way, but will we see as the Supreme Court takes up the case this term. For more see, this article.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJosh Silver is one of the founders of RWF and is a life time fan that wants the name changed! Archives
February 2022
Categories |