So in a unanimous 8-justice decision in Matal v. Tam, the US Supreme Court says that the US Patent Office may not constitutionally refuse to register \u201cderogatory\u201d or \u201cdisparaging\u201d trademarks (here, the name of Portland-based dance-rock band The Slants)\n\n
\nThey reasoned that the clause allows an applicant to register a \u201cpositive or benign\u201d trademark, but \u201cnot a derogatory one.\u201d Because it \u201creflects the Government\u2019s disapproval of a subset of messages it finds offensive,\u201d it \u201cis the essence of viewpoint discrimination.\u201d\n\nThe obvious immediate effect will be to end assaults on the trademarks of the Washington Redskins; further on tho the precedent might stop the DMV from refusing custom license plate \u201cDRGN BLS\u201d"}