Recent reports in the publication World Trademark
Review (“WTR”) tell us what we
probably could have anticipated. It hasn't taken very long
for people to jump on the “Black Lives Matter”
bandwagon and start filing some pretty dodgy trade mark
applications.
Background
For the benefit of readers to whom the events of the past few
weeks have been all a bit of a blur, here's a quick heads-up.
George Floyd was a African American man who was arrested in the US
city of Minneapolis. In the process of arresting Floyd, a police
officer knelt on Floyd's neck for a considerable period of
time. Despite the fact that Floyd said “I can't
breathe” the officer did not remove his knee and Floyd died.
The incident sparked protests around the world, which took place
under the banner “Black Lives Matter”.
