In re Tam

In re Tam was a Supreme Court case involving a Native American band called the Slants, who wanted to register their name as a trademark. The government initially refused, citing the name as offensive and disparaging. The case centered on whether such refusals violated the First Amendment’s free speech protections. The Court ruled that the government cannot deny trademarks based on speech that might be offensive or disparaging, as doing so suppresses free expression. Ultimately, the decision reinforced that the government cannot censor or discriminate against speech—such as trademarks—simply because others find the speech offensive.