In a unanimous ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court decided that the government cannot refuse to register trademarks that disparage "individuals, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols," Politico reports. The case centered on an Asian-American rock band that calls itself "The Slants"; the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had refused to register the name, citing a 71-year-old federal "disparagement clause" that was ultimately found to be in violation of the First Amendment.
"The commercial market is well stocked with merchandise that disparages prominent figures and groups, and the line between commercial and non-commercial speech is not always clear, as this case illustrates," wrote Justice Samuel Alito. "If affixing the commercial label permits the suppression of any speech that may lead to political or social 'volatility,' free speech would be endangered,” he wrote.
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