Portland Rock Band "The Slants" Win Copyright Court Victory

The Portland based rock band, The Slants, has won a major Supreme Court victory.

For the last 8 years, the band has been fighting for the right to trademark their band name, which they were denied due to the band name being deemed as offensive by the trademark office.

The band took their case to court and has now won the right to trademark their name.

A unanimous ruling by the supreme court in favor of the band was announced yesterday, with justice Alito stating in the court’s opinion that, quote, “Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend.”

KBOO reporter Jenna Yokoyama spoke with The Slants bassist and band founder Simon Tam to get his impression about yesterday’s supreme court ruling.