
USPTO May Not Deny Trademark Registration Even if Mark is “Scandalous” or “Immoral”
In Iancu v. Brunetti, June 24, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt with a clothing manufacturer, who under the guise of seeking to thwart counterfeiters of its product, sought registration before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) of its logo FUCT on its tee shirts. The Court affirmed a lower federal court’s ruling that the USPTO may not refuse registration of a mark containing the “F” word or similar four-letter “cuss” words on a “viewpoint basis;” i.e., that such mar