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# Dyker Trademark War
- URL: https://thedailyeudemon.com/1698/
- Published: 2005-07-15T17:50:41.000Z
- Updated: 2005-07-15T17:50:41.000Z
- Author: Eric Scheske
- Tags: Culture, #wpChunk

We find this fascinating. The USPTO won't issue a trademark because it's vulgar. The applicant says, "It's not vulgar to me, therefore, it isn't." The USPTO applies norms; the applicant applies its will. Who will win? Is there a relationship to a bigger question dogging our society right now? [Link](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/14/MNGR7DNPOQ1.DTL&ref=thedailyeudemon.com). Excerpts:

> Twice, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the \[Dykes on Bikes'\] application, on the grounds that "dyke" is vulgar, offensive and "scandalous." Patent office attorneys even point to Webster's dictionary, which says dyke is "often used disparagingly."

> "The examining attorney found it to be offensive to a significant portion of the lesbian community," said Jessie Roberts, a trademark administrator with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. "And we're also looking out for the sensitivities of the general public more than that of a specific applicant."

> The applicants, in this case, prefer to call themselves dykes.

> "We self-identify as dykes on bikes," said Germany, a 48-year-old San Francisco environmental consultant. "To us, (the government's objection) is completely absurd."

**Bonus Coverage**

> The women call themselves "dykes" for the same reason many gays have laid claim to "queer" -- to defang a word that has long been a slur.

Most excellent. So if we use other words commonly deemed derogatory (e.g., fag), we're actually helping the homo-lesbian community. Remember that.