The US Supreme Court held Monday in Iancu v. Brunetti that the US government’s ban on trademarks on “immoral” or “scandalous” words and symbols violates the First Amendment.
This case arose when a Los Angeles streetwear designer, Erik Brunetti, got turned down by US Patent and Trademark Office when he sought to trademark his brand name FUCT. The agency denied his application under a provision of the Lanham Act that prohibits registration of trademarks that “consist of or comprise immoral or scandalous matter.”
