FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTS DISPARAGING TRADEMARKS A few years back a rock band tried to trademark its name — THE SLANTS. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) refused to register the trademark based on the statutory prohibition of “disparaging†trademarks found in 15 USC §1052(a).[1] The PTO reasoned that because “slants†can be used to disparage…

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