Back in January, I wrote a blog post about the US Supreme Court agreeing to hear a case concerning “immoral” or “scandalous” trademarks. The case concerned the attempt by Mark Brunetti to trademark the word FUCT. This summer, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the law denying such marks violates the First Amendment because “it disfavors certain ideas.” In its decision, the Court cited certain marks that were allowed, such as a game called “Praise the Lord,” while other marks, such as “Bong Hits for Jesus” were denied. The Court left open the possibility that Congress might Read More
Category: US Supreme Court
Immoral or Scandalous Trademarks
Did you know that not every trademark is accepted for registration? For example, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will not register a mark that it considers “immoral” or “scandalous.” Of course, times have changed since that statutory provision took effect more than one hundred years ago. What do we do now about words that might have offended then but have become practically common vernacular now? Last week, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments concerning the issue of the mark FUCT, which designer Mark Brunetti has been trying to register for more than a decade. Read More