Supreme Court to decide if The Slants' name is too offensive to be trademarked

Justices announced they would hear the case on Thursday

(AP)

The Slants, an all-Asian dance-rock group based in Portland, Oregon, are fighting to trademark their band’s name.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court announced it would hear the band’s case after the band received years of rejection from the US Patent and Trademark Office. Federal law prohibits the US Patent and Trademark Office from registering disparaging terms and in this case, “slants” have been ruled offensive to Asians.

A lawyer for frontman Simon Tam says that his client is following the long tradition where minorities reclaim terms that were once directed at them as insults.

The case is one of eight that the justices picked among hundreds of petitions. Their decision will most likely decide the fate of NFL’s Washington football team, who maintains their name honours Native Americans.

Mr Tam and his band's case will be heard in the following weeks.