{"id":11771,"date":"2017-05-26T12:18:01","date_gmt":"2017-05-26T20:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/episode-774-unspeakable-trademark\/"},"modified":"2017-05-26T12:18:01","modified_gmt":"2017-05-26T20:18:01","slug":"episode-774-unspeakable-trademark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/episode-774-unspeakable-trademark\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 774: Unspeakable Trademark"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jacob Goldstein<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
\n
Enlarge this image<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

<\/em>Simon Tam of The Slants.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ariel Zambelich\/NPR<\/p>\n

<\/b>hide caption<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

toggle caption<\/b><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Ariel Zambelich\/NPR<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Warning: This episode has explicit language, for unavoidable and soon-to-be obvious reasons. <\/em><\/p>\n

Growing up in California, Simon Tam had some tough moments. He was Chinese-American, and in middle school, kids called him all kinds of racial slurs.<\/p>\n

Those moments stuck with him.<\/p>\n

Simon grew up, and eventually started a band that was beginning to take off. He decided on a band name that said something about being Asian. Something that asserted an identity. He picked “The Slants,” as a way to own a stereotype and turn it into something completely different.<\/p>\n

There was a problem, though. Other bands started using the same name.<\/p>\n

So in 2010, Simon did what artists and companies do when there’s confusion over their name. He applied to register for a trademark with the federal government.<\/p>\n

But, it was rejected because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said it was disparaging to people of Asian descent.<\/p>\n

This is the agency that decides what gets to be registered as a trademark. And that involves making all kinds of calls about racial slurs, homophobic putdowns, and sexist language.<\/p>\n