Simon Tam Founder of the Slants

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Simon Tam Founder of The Slants Simon Tam is an author, musician, entrepreneur, and activist. He is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. His work in the arts has been highlighted in over 3,000 media features across 150 countries including The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, BBC, NPR, TIME Magazine, and Rolling Stone. He was named a champion of diverse issues by the White House and worked with President Barack Obama’s campaign to fight bullying. He recently helped expand freedom of speech through winning a unanimous victory at the Supreme Court of the United States for a landmark case in constitutional and trademark law (Matal v. Tam). Tam has been a keynote speaker, performer, and presenter at TEDx, SXSW, Comic-Con, The Depart- ment of Defense, Stanford University, and over 1,200 events across North America, Europe, and Asia. He has set a world record by appearing on the TEDx stage 12 times. He designed one of the first college-accredited social media programs in the United States.Bloomberg Businessweek called him a “Social Media Rockstar.” Forbes says his resume is a “paragon of complete- ness.” Recently, he was recognized as a Freedom Fighter by the Roosevelt Rough Writers, named Citizen of the Year from the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Portland Lodge, Portland Rising Star from the Light a Fire Awards, received a Distinguished Alum Award from Marylhurst University, and the Mark T. Banner Award from the American Bar Association. He serves as board Chair for the APANO United Communities Fund and as a member/advisor for multiple nonprofit organizations dedicated to social justice and the arts. You can find Tam’s appearances, writing, and current projects at www.simontam.org..

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April 13-19, 2017
APRIL 13-19, 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFORTWAYNE • WWW.WHATZUP.COM TICKETS ON SALE NOW! TICKETS ON SALE NOW! MORE COWBELL! FROM GRAND FUNK RAILROAD 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- April 13, 2017 whatzup Volume 21, Number 35 ou may have noticed that we spend a lot of time in this space discussing whatzup.com. There’s a good reason for that. This past Friday, for exam- ple, whatzup.com tallied 3,596 individual visitors, and we’re averaging Ybetter than 2,200 unique visitors per day, up about 50 percent from this time last year. We cannot, at this point, calculate how many people visit the site in a week, but we’re quite certain that it’s substantially more than the number of people who pick up the print version each week. Not that we want to discourage those of you who pick up the print version of whatzup from doing so, but you should check out the website as well. Why? Because we can do stuff on whatzup.com that we cannot do in print – things like providing a complete karaoke and DJ calendar; publishing a movie page that includes all of today’s, or tomorrow’s, or the next day’s movie times at all the movie theaters in the area; providing videos of performances by area bands; pro- viding up to date listings of all the national concerts in the region, not just what fits onto three, four or five printed pages – and that’s just scratching the surface. So sit down with this paper – or with your phone or at your computer – and enjoy this issue of the Fort Wayne area’s one and only free-distribution weekly arts & entertainment publication.
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The Slants Convention Presskit 2011
In 2007, The Slants kicked off their career in Contact Info: a small dive bar in Portland, OR. Three years later, we could barely believe what we achieved in that short time: ten tours across North America, released three albums, we rejected a million dollar recording contract, and performed more anime conventions than any other band in existence. However, the greatest barometer of success has been the feedback of the fans and the people we’ve worked with. I am contacting you today because we’d love to work with you. Sure, the band has a track record of success. The Slants LLC With over 1,500 TV shows, radio stations, 8026 SE Reedway St magazines, and websites talking about the Portland, OR 97206 group, it should be no surprise how many (226) 24-SLANT results you get when doing an online search of “The Slants.” But the best reason to host Management: The Slants at your event is that we are Last Stop Booking Agency professional and yet, easy to work with. We [email protected] respond quickly to every inquiry, we spend (503) 754-8703 time with your attendees to make sure they have the best experience possible. It’s no Publicity: In Music We Trust PR wonder why we were said to be “pound for [email protected] pound, dollar for dollar, the best value and (503) 557-9661 guests any convention can bring in.” Official Websites: [Letter From the Editor] So take a look and get in touch with us. You’ll theslants.com see why we make a great fit for the anime myspace.com/theslants facebook.com/theslants and comic book convention world.
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The Supreme Court of the United States, Trade Mark Law, And
School for Scandal: the Supreme Court of the United States, Trade Mark Law, and Freedom of Speech in the Age of Trump Matthew Rimmer The Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Matal v. Tam in 2017 over the Oregon rock group The Slants sets down a landmark precedent in respect of trade mark law, racism, bigotry, disparagement, and freedom of speech.1 The ruling also larger implications and ramifications for the protection of Indigenous intellectual property – both in respect of the contentious Washington Redskins trademark, and more generally. This case note considers the twin trade mark conflicts over the Slants and the Washington Redskins in the United States. It questions the reasoning of the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Matal v. Tam, raising questions about its coherence and its consistency. It contends that the Supreme Court of the United States ruling is an exceptional one, which would not be easily translated to other jurisdictions such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. 1. The Slants The factual scenario of the dispute in Matal v. Tam is an unusual one.2 Alito J observed of the nature of the dispute: This case concerns a dance-rock band’s application for federal trademark registration of the band’s name, “The Slants.” “Slants” is a derogatory term for persons of Asian descent, and members of the 1 Matal v. Tam 137 S. Ct 1744 (2017) 2 Matal v. Tam 137 S. Ct 1744 (2017) 1 band are Asian–Americans. But the band members believe that by taking that slur as the name of their group, they will help to “reclaim” the term and drain its denigrating force.
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Press Release
Contact: Kristyn Souder Communications Director Email: [email protected] Phone: (267)536-9566 PRESS RELEASE Zenkaikon Convention to Bring Anime and Science Fiction Fans to Lancaster in March Hatboro, PA – January 21, 2013: On March 22-24, 2013, Zenkaikon will hold its seventh annual convention in a new location at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The convention expects to welcome over two thousand fans of Japanese animation (anime), comics (manga), gaming, and science fiction to downtown Lancaster for the weekend-long event. Zenkaikon had typically been held in the Valley Forge area of Pennsylvania. However, with the conversion of the Valley Forge Convention Center to a casino and the continued growth of the event, Zenkaikon moved its convention to Lancaster. Many convention attendees don costumes of their favorite characters to attend the annual convention. Planned convention events include a variety of educational panels and workshops hosted by volunteers and guests; anime and live action screenings; a costume and skit competition (the "Masquerade"); a hall costume contest; performances by musical guests; a live action role play ("LARP") event; video game tournaments and tabletop gaming; a formal ball and informal dances; and an exhibit hall of anime-themed merchandise and handmade creations from artists. A number of Guests of Honor have already been announced for Zenkaikon 2013. John de Lancie, best known for his roles on Star Trek and Stargate SG-1, and more recently known for his role as Discord on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, will be hosting panels and meeting attendees. Prolific voice and live action actor Richard Epcar (Ghost in the Shell, The Legend of Korra, Kingdom Hearts) and actress Ellyn Stern (Robotech, Gundam Unicorn, Bleach) will also be participating in a variety of programming.
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The Aftermath of Matal V. Tam: Unanswered Questions and Early Applications
University of Cincinnati Law Review Volume 87 Issue 3 Article 9 March 2019 The Aftermath of Matal v. Tam: Unanswered Questions and Early Applications Andrew Lehmkuhl University of Cincinnati College of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.uc.edu/uclr Recommended Citation Andrew Lehmkuhl, The Aftermath of Matal v. Tam: Unanswered Questions and Early Applications, 87 U. Cin. L. Rev. 871 (2019) Available at: https://scholarship.law.uc.edu/uclr/vol87/iss3/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by University of Cincinnati College of Law Scholarship and Publications. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Cincinnati Law Review by an authorized editor of University of Cincinnati College of Law Scholarship and Publications. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Lehmkuhl: Questions After Matal v. Tam THE AFTERMATH OF MATAL V. TAM: UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND EARLY APPLICATIONS Andrew M. Lehmkuhl II I. INTRODUCTION Seven applications to register a trademark for the N-word were filed since June 19, 2017.1 Similar applications were filed for the swastika symbol.2 Prior to that date, a provision of the federal statute governing trademark registration (The Lanham Act) expressly made federal registration unavailable for disparaging terms or symbols.3 In the landmark decision in Matal v. Tam, the Supreme Court held that this ban on disparaging trademarks violated the First Amendment as an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.4 Many questions remain following the decision in Tam. Primarily, clear guidance does not exist for whether similar trademark subject prohibitions included in the Lanham Act also violate the First Amendment as an unconstitutional abridgement of speech.
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CONSIDERING MATAL V. TAM: DOES TRADEMARKING DEROGATORY TERMS FURTHER RECLAMATION PRACTICES for MINORITY COMMUNITIES?
RLSJ-V29-UYEDA-TO-PRINT .DOCX (DO NOT DELETE) 11/5/20 2:14 PM CONSIDERING MATAL v. TAM: DOES TRADEMARKING DEROGATORY TERMS FURTHER RECLAMATION PRACTICES FOR MINORITY COMMUNITIES? ∗ CODY UYEDA TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................... 304 II. MATAL V. TAM AND ITS LEGAL IMPLICATIONS...................... 306 A. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TAM DECISION ........................... 306 B. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF TRADEMARKING .............. 307 C. THE INTERSECTION OF THE LANHAM ACT AND FIRST AMENDMENT IN MATAL V.TAM............................................. 308 III. MEANING, IDENTITY, AND THE PROCESS OF RECLAMATION......................................................................... 311 A. THE MEANING AND CONTEXT OF "SLANT" .......................... 311 B. FRAMING THE PRACTICE OF RECLAMATION......................... 313 C. RECLAIMING "SLANT" .......................................................... 315 D. IS RECLAIMING DEROGATORY TERMS A VALUABLE GOAL? ................................................................................... 318 1. Commodification and Dignity Taking............................ 318 2. Successful Reclamation .................................................. 321 IV. DOES TRADEMARKING FURTHER RECLAMATION? ........... 322 A. THE BENEFITS OF TRADEMARKING ARE IRRELEVANT TO RECLAMATION ...................................................................... 322 ∗ Senior Copy Editor, Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice, Volume 29;
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With Reappropriation Use Under Trademark Law
41816-nyu_94-6 Sheet No. 175 Side A 12/10/2019 14:44:50 \\jciprod01\productn\N\NYU\94-6\NYU607.txt unknown Seq: 1 6-DEC-19 15:26 COUNTERING THE “THOUGHT WE HATE” WITH REAPPROPRIATION USE UNDER TRADEMARK LAW ESTHER H. SOHN* In 2017, the Supreme Court struck down the disparagement clause of § 2(a) of the Lanham Act as contravening the First Amendment. Against the backdrop of the Washington Redskins controversy, Matal v. Tam foreclosed the question of chal- lenging federal registrations of disparaging trademarks. The case, however, opened up the opportunity to explore how disparaged groups could work within the frame- work of federal trademark law to restrict the right to exclusive use that owners of disparaging trademarks possess. Just as offending groups have a constitutional right to free speech, disparaged groups should be allowed to counter disparaging trademarks with “reappropriation use”—unauthorized uses of disparaging trade- marks with the purpose of reclaiming “the thought that we hate”1—and still be protected under the First Amendment against infringement claims. This Note pro- poses a novel, three-step reappropriation use defense for courts to apply, demon- strating how federal trademark law could ensure that groups like The Slants have a platform to reclaim terms and still protect disparaged groups seeking to reap- propriate disparaging trademarks. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 1730 R I. THE ROLE OF TRADEMARK LAW IN FACILITATING REAPPROPRIATION ...................................... 1734 R A. An Overview of Trademark Law: Establishing Property Rights, Bringing Infringement Claims, and Raising Defenses .................................... 1734 R B. How Matal v. Tam Changed the Legal Landscape . 1737 R 41816-nyu_94-6 Sheet No.
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Zenkaikon 2008 Press Kit
Zenkaikon 2008 Press Kit Last Updated: October 14, 2008 2 Table of Contents General Information 3 History 4 Event List 6 Guest Biographies 8 Convention Policies 12 Other References 16 Convention Schedule 17 3 General Information Event Description Zenkaikon, a local convention celebrating Japanese culture, animation (anime), comics, and video gaming is returning to Valley Forge for its third year on October 17th through 18th, 2008. It promises a variety of programming including panels, video screenings, costume contests, gaming tournaments, concerts, dances, and more. Some 2008 guests include award‐winning science fiction author C.J. Henderson, voice actor Bill Rogers (Gravitation, His and Her Circumstance, The Third), voice actress Michelle Knotz (Pokémon, The World of Narue), Asian rock band The Slants, and Philadelphia's own IkuZo! Studios. Zenkaikon is primarily staffed by members of the Delaware Anime Society – a local anime club with branches in Delaware and Willow Grove, Pennsylvania – with assistance from The Lost Otakus anime club in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Event Location The Valley Forge Scanticon Hotel and Conference Center 1210 First Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406 Event Date and Time Friday, October 17, 2008, 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturday, October 18, 2008, 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Contact List Matilda Madden Kristyn Oliveti Convention Chair Zenkaikon Street Team [email protected] [email protected] ZFEFIHIOEHFEI 4 History Background Zenkaikon was founded by the merger of two local events, Kosaikon – an anime convention held at Villanova University – and Zentrancon – an anime and science fiction convention held on the University of Pennsylvania campus.
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Memorable Performance at Penny Arcade Expo in 2008 — the Oneups Have Garnered Critical Acclaim from Popular Gaming Publications Such As Gameinformer and EGM
Media Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2012 Contact: Ryan LaFata, 757/728-5328 [email protected] Chris Gillenwater, 757/971-1161 [email protected] Time to Get Animated --NekoCon 15 Japanese Anime Convention Returns to the Hampton Roads Convention Center November 2-4-- Hampton, Virginia- This November 2-4, join over 4,000 otaku (fanboys and fangirls) as the Hampton Roads Convention Center welcomes back Virginia’s oldest and longest running Japanese anime convention, NekoCon 15! Activities will include everything from cosplay (a combination of the words costume and play referring to individuals dressing up in outlandish costumes) - to L.A.R.P. (Live Action Role Playing) in which attendees dress up as their favorite anime characters and become part of the action. Attendees are welcome to attend various panels and workshops and be a part of main attractions like karaoke contests, gaming tournaments, art shows, and nightly dances. Other major highlights include the AMV contest, Asian Ball Joint Doll Tea Party, and a -More- Time to Get Animated- Page 2 dealer’s room where fans can purchase DVD’s, posters, t-shirts, manga, Asian art supplies, and more. Each year, NekoCon chooses a different charity in order to promote awareness of that charity and to support the charity with proceeds from the NekoCon Charity Auction and other events at the convention, including the Charity Dunk-A-Director event. This year, NekoCon has chosen Shelterbox.org. This organization provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world that are affected by national disasters. NekoCon 15 will include guest appearances by: Hiro Usuda (International Guest) Hiro Usuda is an illustrator from Japan.
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The Slants – a Name Worth Fighting For
The Slants – A Name Worth Fighting For December 11, 2017 Omaha, NE Faculty Bios Simon Tam is an Asian American musician, author, and activist. He is best known as the founder of the world's first and only all-Asian American dance-rock band, The Slants, who won their case in the U.S. Supreme Court against the U.S government in a landmark legal battle to expand First Amendment rights for minorities. Mr. Tam is dedicated to raising awareness of racial disparities, social justice, and issues that affect the Asian American community. Mr. Tam has also appeared on TEDx as a speaker. 12/1/2017 MATAL V. TAM Losing the Line Between Art & Activism @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants BEHIND BARS @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants IT BEGAN WITH A FILM @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants 1 12/1/2017 I FOUGHT THE LAW @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants …AND THE LAW WON @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants “LAUDABLE BUT NOT INFLUENTIAL” @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants 2 12/1/2017 A NEW SLANT ON APPEALING @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants “TOO ASIAN” @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants HOW RACIST IS “THE SLANTS?” Disparagement Asian Stuff 3 12/1/2017 ASIAN AF GOING EN BANC @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants "Courts have been slow to appreciate the expressive power of trademarks... Words – even a single word – can be powerful…With his band name, Mr. Tam conveys more about our society than many volumes of undisputedly protected speech.” Judge Kimberly Moore @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants 4 12/1/2017 FINAL BOSS STAGE @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants @SimonTheTam of @TheSlants FORTUNE COOKIE WISDOM @SimonTheTam
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I. How Did We Get Here?
10 BRABB (DO NOT DELETE) 4/18/2017 5:46 PM WILL SIMON TAM AND THE SLANTS BRING AN END TO THE DISPARAGEMENT PROVISION WITHIN SECTION 2(A) OF THE LANHAM ACT? ONE ROCK BAND’S FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH Elizabeth Brabb* Congress shall make no law . abridging the freedom of speech.1 - United States Constitution, First Amendment No trademark by which the goods of the applicant may be distinguished from the goods of others shall be refused registration on the principal register on account of its nature unless it – Consists of or comprises . matter which may disparage . persons, living or dead.2 - Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act It is time for this Court to revisit . the constitutionality of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act.3 - Kimberly Ann Moore, Circuit Judge for U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit I. HOW DID WE GET HERE? In 2006, bass guitarist, Simon Shiao Tam, formed the first and only all- Asian American dance rock band, The Slants.4 Their music is described as *J.D. Candidate, 2017, Baylor University School of Law. I would like to thank Professor Connie Nichols for her guidance and encouragement while writing this article. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the staff of the Baylor Law Review for their efforts and excellence. Finally, thank you to Amber Morrison, Michaela Larson, Lauren Becker, Lexi Atkins, and Amanda Howard for their unwavering support and friendship. 1 U.S. Const. amend. I. 2 15 U.S.C. § 1052. 3 In re Tam, 785 F.3d 567, 573 (Fed.
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Elephant Revivalreleases Petals
K k MARCH 2016 K g VOL. 28 #3 H WOWHALL.ORGk “The Colorado folk group pulls together so many elements of American music that summing up its sound in just a few words is bound to prove inadequate.” - NPR Music Nashville, TN with American roots music as it Petals was produced by Sam does with indie rock. The songs Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street on Petals touch on themes of love, Dive, Langhorne Slim) and record- overcoming loss and following ed at the Great North Sound your own path while remaining Society in Parsonsfield, ME and connected to others. Bandmates The Studio at eTown Hall in Bridget Law, Dango Rose and Boulder, CO. Charlie Rose add beautiful harmo- Elephant Revival’s music main- nies and superior musicianship, tains its roots in American and creating an ensemble of guitar, Celtic songcraft, but on Petals, fiddle, washboard, cello, bass, they achieve a compositional horns, pedal steel, mandolin and maturity that in moments can banjo. evoke the modern classical ensem- Since the 2008 release of their ble. Spare, almost conversational first album, Elephant Revival has strings punctuate the rhythmic been making an impact on all who momentum in songs like the title hear them and experience their track and the almost archetypical- intimate and lively performances. ly stark Celtic narrative, “Furthest Elephant Revival has toured exten- Shore” -- a continuation of the sively since their inception, garner- story told in the song “Currach” ing a large and loyal fanbase. The from their first 2008 self-titled ELEPHANT REVIVAL RELEASES PETALS band headlines major venues and release.
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