The band name 'The Slants' is disparaging term for Asian, PTO says.

theslants.com

The Slants, Asian American dance rock band from Portland, Oregon, tried to have their name ‘The Slants’ as trademark. But Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) refused their request saying that ‘slants’ is a 'disparaging term for Asian descent', NPR reported.

NPR added Simon Tam’s comment: “"They said because of our ethnicity, people automatically think of the racial slur as opposed to any other definition of the term,"

Now the band is planning to take their case to a federal circuit court with a different strategy that denying them the copyright violates their First Amendment rights.

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