Curtis Bordenave, a Black man from Mississippi, has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the N-Word. The application is for the full spelling of the colloquial form of the epithet - n***a.
When asked about his decision to go through with the process, Bordenave, stated, "We plan on dictating the future of how we define this word." He filed for the trademark soon after the June decision by the Supreme Court to strike down the law that prohibited the trademarking of disparaging words and symbols. "A young, black businessman from Mississippi has acquired the rights to the word. I think that’s a great ending to that story."
In an attempt to create positive affirmations for the word, Bordernave plans to sell items with the word on it from clothing, accessories, charitable fundraising, mobile apps, comedic performances and much more. He is already rolling out t-shirts with n***a on the tag. “Because the word is such a well-known word without a brand, without a logo, it actually has the ability to become a famous mark almost instantly," and he added, “Our message is bigger than our brand. Our message is, ‘Every shade, every gender unite.’”
Wonder how the trademarking of the world will affect hip hop lyrics if at all.
Source: clarionledger.com
