No. 18-302
Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, Patent and Trademark Office v. Erik Brunetti
Amici (11)
Experienced Counsel
Tags: commercial-speech first-amendment free-speech government-speech immoral immoral-marks lanham-act scandalous scandalous-marks trademark trademark-registration
Key Terms:
FirstAmendment Patent Copyright Trademark Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
FirstAmendment Patent Copyright Trademark Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference:
2019-01-04
Question Presented (AI Summary)
Whether Section 1052(a)'s prohibition on the federal registration of immoral' or 'scandalous' marks is facially invalid under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment
Question Presented (OCR Extract)
QUESTION PRESENTED Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. 1052(a), provides in pertinent part that a trademark shall be refused registration if it “[c]onsists of or comprises immoral * * * or scandalous matter.” The question presented is as follows: Whether Section 1052(a)’s prohibition on the federal registration of “immoral” or “scandalous” marks is facially invalid under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. (I)
Docket Entries
2019-07-26
JUDGMENT ISSUED.
2019-06-24
Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Kagan, J., delivered the <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/18-302_e29g.pdf'>opinion</a> of the Court, in which Thomas, Ginsburg, Alito, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, JJ., joined. Alito, J., filed a concurring opinion. Roberts, C. J., and Breyer, J., filed opinions concurring in part and dissenting in part. Sotomayor, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, in which Breyer, J., joined.
2019-04-15
Argued. For petitioner: Malcolm L. Stewart, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. For respondent: John R. Sommer, Irvine, Cal.
2019-04-02
Reply of petitioner Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-27
Record from the U.S.C.A. Federal Circuit is electronic and located on Pacer.
2019-03-25
Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the District of Columbia filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-25
Brief amici curiae of Professors Barton Beebe and Jeanne Fromer filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-25
Brief amicus curiae of The Rutherford Institute filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-25
Brief amici curiae of The Cato Institute, et. al. filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-25
Brief amicus curiae of International Trademark Association filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-22
Brief amicus curiae of Simon Tam filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-21
Brief amicus curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation filed. (Distributed)
2019-03-21
Record requested from the U.S.C.A. Federal Circuit.
2019-03-20
CIRCULATED
2019-03-18
Brief of respondent Erik Brunetti filed.
2019-02-26
Brief amicus curiae of New York Intellectual Property Law Association in support of neither party filed.
2019-02-25
Brief amicus curiae of The American Intellectual Property Law Association in support of neither party filed.
2019-02-19
Brief amicus curiae of Kurt M. Anderson filed.
2019-02-15
Brief of petitioner Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office filed.
2019-02-15
Joint appendix filed.
2019-02-11
SET FOR ARGUMENT on Monday, April 15, 2019
2019-01-04
Petition GRANTED.
2018-12-11
Reply of petitioners Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office filed. (Distributed)
2018-11-28
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/4/2019.
2018-11-08
Brief of respondent Erik Brunetti filed.
2018-10-02
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including November 8, 2018.
2018-09-28
Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 9, 2018 to November 8, 2018, submitted to The Clerk.
2018-09-07
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 9, 2018)
2018-08-01
Application (18A15) granted by The Chief Justice extending the time to file until September 7, 2018.
2018-07-31
Application (18A15) to extend further the time from August 10, 2018 to September 7, 2018, submitted to The Chief Justice.
2018-07-05
Application (18A15) granted by The Chief Justice extending the time to file until August 10, 2018.
2018-06-29
Application (18A15) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from July 11, 2018 to August 10, 2018, submitted to The Chief Justice.
Attorneys
American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the District of Columbia
Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office
Noel J. Francisco — Solicitor General, Petitioner
Erik Brunetti
John R. Sommer — John R. Sommer, Attorney-at-Law, Respondent
INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK ASSOCIATION
David H. Bernstein — Debevoise and Plimpton LLP, Amicus
Kurt M. Anderson
Kurt Michael Anderson — Amicus
New York Intellectual Property Law Association
Michael Carl Cannata — Rivkin Radler, LLP, Amicus
Pacific Legal Foundation
Professors Barton Beebe and Jeanne Fromer
William McGinley Jay — Goodwin Procter, LLP, Amicus
Simon Tam
The American Intellectual Property Law Association
The Cato Institute, et. al.
Ilya Shapiro — Cato Institute, Amicus
The Rutherford Institute
Megan L. Brown — Wiley Rein LLP, Amicus