Asian-American band 'The Slants' asks federal court for right to trademark slur

Simon Tam, bassist for poppy Portland rock band "The Slants," wants a federal court to permit a trademark for the band's controversial name. Since 2011, the US Patent and Trademark office has refused to permit trademark for the Asian-American band's name because "slant" is considered disparaging. A USPTO attorney characterized the word as "a negative term regarding the shape of the eyes of certain persons of Asian descent" and "an inherently offensive term that has a long history of being used to deride and mock."

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