| Matal v. Tam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued January 18, 2017 Decided June 19, 2017 | |
| Full case name | Joseph Matal, Interim Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Petitioner v. Simon Shiao Tam |
| Docket no. | 15-1293 |
| Citations | 582 U.S. 218 (more) 137 S. Ct. 1744; 198 L. Ed. 2d 366; 122 U.S.P.Q.2d 1757 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | In re Tam, 808 F.3d 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2015); cert. granted, 137 S. Ct. 30 (2016). |
| Holding | |
| The Lanham Act's prohibition against registering disparaging trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Alito (Parts I, II, and III–A), joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan; Thomas (except Part II) |
| Plurality | Alito (Parts III–B, III–C, and IV), joined by Roberts, Thomas, Breyer |
| Concurrence | Kennedy (in part and in judgment), joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan |
| Concurrence | Thomas (in part and in judgment) |
| Gorsuch took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
Matal v. Tam, 582 U.S. 218 (2017) (previously known as Lee v. Tam) is a Supreme Court of the United States case that affirmed unanimously the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that the provisions of the Lanham Act prohibiting registration of trademarks that may "disparage" persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols with the United States Patent and Trademark Office violated the First Amendment.[1]