In Battle Over Band Name, Supreme Court Considers Free Speech And Trademarks

Joe Jiang and Simon Tam of The Slants are in a legal battle at the Supreme Court over their band’s name. What do the McDonald’s golden arches, the apple on your iPhone, the NBC peacock, the Nike swoosh, and the MGM lion have in common? They are all registered trademarks, and in the last 20 years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved roughly 4 million of them.