Simon Tam is the founder and bass player for The Slants, a Portland-based Asian-American rock band whose application for a trademark and trade name was denied by the US Patent & Trademark Office on the ground that the band's name was potentially disparaging and offensive to those of Asian heritage. Simon's use of the term as his band's name was, however, an effort to reclaim the term and give it a positive association rather than a negative one, and he fought the PTO's decision all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Oral argument before the court was heard in January of 2017, and a decision ruling in his favor was announced in June of 2017.

Simon spoke to students (including some of my BA226 students) at the Lewis & Law School in March of 2017. During his presentation, he discussed why he named his band The Slants, why he fought the PTO decision, and what it feels like to hear your case argued before the US Supreme Court. Simon is an an excellent speaker, and his presentation is very entertaining.

Here is a link to an audio file of Simon's presentation, which lasts about 90 minutes or so.