Document Type
Article
Publication Date
January 2014
Abstract
Almost all of the commentary concerning the statutory prohibition on registering offensive trademarks lambasts it as a misguided attempt to enforce civility through trademark law. This Article carefully considers the challenges accompanying section 2(a) of the U.S. Trademark Act and defends it as good policy. There are, however, a few instances in which the jurisprudence under section 2(a) has created more problems than it has solved. To alleviate these problems, this Article proposes judging words per se and abandoning the traditional trademark notion of evaluating words in context. Judging words per se is warranted given the very different objectives underlying section 2(a) as compared with the rest of the Trademark Act.
Recommended Citation
Christine Farley,
Stabilizing Morality in Trademark Law,
American University Law Review
(2014).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/facsch_lawrev/718