The Slants Band - Racial Slur or Reclaiming of a Stereotype?

In April 2015, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the US Patent and Trademark Office's decision denying a trademark request by the Portland band "The Slants" on the ground that the term is disparaging to people of Asian descent. Later this year, the court will rehear the case en banc on the issue of whether the bar on registration of disparaging marks in 15 U.S.C. 1052(a) violates the First Amendment. Join Parna Mehrbani, trademark attorney with Lane Powell, Duane Bosworth, First Amendment attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine, Simon Tam, band member of The Slants, Frank Garcia, consultant and former director of diversity and inclusion for the Governor's Office and Oregon State Bar, and George Nakata, Japanese-American internment camp survivor, for a panel discussion about this case and its implications.

 

For more information: Call Judge Youlee You, Multnomah County Circuit Court at 503.988.3404. For registration questions, call the MBA at 503.222.3275.

Date & Time
Wednesday, October 28, 2015, 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location
World Trade Center Mezzanine, Building 2, 26 SW Sa
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