Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

[Disir]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

 

[Iceweasel]

I listened to the guy on the Lars Larsen show yesterday. Sort of an interesting issue, where should the state step in if at all? In my mind the government should not get involved unless obscene words are published to the public. That said I think it's stupid to harm your business with a inflammatory name.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

Because like the Inner Party of Orwell's creation, Progressives are trying to gain control of language.

 

[Grandma]

I can understand what they're doing, but that they're doing it is dumb.

If a band gets any serious level of fame/sales/popularity then no one else will use the name, it in effect copyrights itself.

If they want a workaround they can do what bands in the 1960s did - write a song about themselves: The Ballad of Slant.

 

[Grandma]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

Because like the Inner Party of Orwell's creation, Progressives are trying to gain control of language.

You trying to rewrite history and claim this is new.?

Dude, really, go jerk off in a forum I never go to.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

Because like the Inner Party of Orwell's creation, Progressives are trying to gain control of language.

You trying to rewrite history and claim this is new.?

Nah. What do you think the end product of political correctness was intended to be?

 

[Frankeneinstein]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

looks like another front in the PC war is being created, as more and more minorities are finding it in their best interest to vote Republican the left has found it necessary to siphon off some votes from traditionally conservative communities, [gee, who would have thought it would be coming from people who consider themselves as part of the arts?] I now expect the word "slant" will now become the asian "N" word until the left can claim phrases like "the media has a left wing slant" will become the next "proof" the right is racist.

 

[Iceweasel]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

looks like another front in the PC war is being created, as more and more minorities are finding it in their best interest to vote Republican the left has found it necessary to siphon off some votes from traditionally conservative communities, [gee, who would have thought it would be coming from people who consider themselves as part of the arts?] I now expect the word "slant" will now become the asian "N" word until the left can claim phrases like "the media has a left wing slant" will become the next "proof" the right is racist.

It's been a derogatory term for a long time. Used to be "slant eyes" back in ww2.

 

[Frankeneinstein]

The Slants are finally going to Washington.

The Portland band's nearly six-year battle to trademark its name heads to the Supreme Court of United States on Wednesday, marking the apex of a long, complicated legal struggle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has refused to issue the self-described "Chinatown dance rock" group a trademark, on the grounds that its moniker violates a statute against trademarks considered "scandalous, disparaging or immoral." Because the band is Asian-American, the argument is that the phrase "slant" takes on a derogatory connotation, despite the fact that the members' stated intent is to reclaim the slur and challenge Asian stereotypes.

"Words aren't equipped with venomous impact on their own," frontman Simon Tam told the Associated Press. "They have to be tied to motive and rooted in context."
Portland Band the Slants Take Their Trademark Case to the Supreme Court This Week

There comes a point when you have to look at this and say it is absolutely insane. Why is this a battle here?

looks like another front in the PC war is being created, as more and more minorities are finding it in their best interest to vote Republican the left has found it necessary to siphon off some votes from traditionally conservative communities, [gee, who would have thought it would be coming from people who consider themselves as part of the arts?] I now expect the word "slant" will now become the asian "N" word until the left can claim phrases like "the media has a left wing slant" will become the next "proof" the right is racist.

It's been a derogatory term for a long time. Used to be "slant eyes" back in ww2.

I'm familiar with it, just can't even remember the last time I heard someone use it and can't ever remember the asian community "raising consciousness" over it, considering where the case is being heard meez thinks that is about to change.

 

[Iceweasel]

I haven't heard the term used for many years, most younger people probably would not even know.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I listened to the guy on the Lars Larsen show yesterday. Sort of an interesting issue, where should the state step in if at all? In my mind the government should not get involved unless obscene words are published to the public. That said I think it's stupid to harm your business with a inflammatory name.

Harm? Dude...they couldn't buy this much publicity for ten million dollars.

 

[Iceweasel]

I listened to the guy on the Lars Larsen show yesterday. Sort of an interesting issue, where should the state step in if at all? In my mind the government should not get involved unless obscene words are published to the public. That said I think it's stupid to harm your business with a inflammatory name.

Harm? Dude...they couldn't buy this much publicity for ten million dollars.

They are but one example. I was making a general statement about business.