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.