FUCT fashion: supreme court strikes down trademark office’s ‘vulgar’ ban
Designer Erik Brunetti’s line has been given a green light after justices agree ban blocks free expression
The US supreme court has a message for the federal trademark office: get FUCT.
Justices came to that conclusion after the designer Erik Brunetti’s fashion line ran into trouble with the US patent and trademark office (PTO), which registers product names. Brunetti was seeking a trademark for his brand, FUCT, which he says is pronounced letter by letter. (The brand’s Twitter bio suggests it stands for “friends U can’t trust.) But the trademark office wasn’t thrilled with the branding and turned down Brunetti’s registration, under a law banning “immoral or scandalous matter”. In the words of PTO authorities, FUCT was “a total vulgar”.