Now before we get too far into the article

I just want to say that Snowflake Enterprises LLC is not a registered LLC in VA, despite what the paperwork says (link and a phone call)

https://sccefile.scc.virginia.gov/Find/Business?SearchTerm=snowflake&SearchPattern=K&as_fid=ba16649e9e99968cc873c2094c423b5012b9f32d - purged

If the entity’s status is "Purged," then its existence or registration has been canceled, revoked, terminated or withdrawn for a period of more than 5 years and, under Virginia law, the entity is not eligible for reinstatement or restoration.

So these two applications that have been submitted should be tossed out and this dude should be charged with fraud.

At the very least this sham and dude shouldn't be able to file any more of these kind of applications, so we'll see how this plays out. But I wanted to get all my info in a line before I queued up outrage

The signatory being warned that willful false statements and the like are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, and that such willful false statements and the like may jeopardize the validity of the application or submission or any registration resulting therefrom, declares that all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true and all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.


the article
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http://www.okayplayer.com/culture/virginia-white-man-wants-trademark-n-word.html


Following a ruling made by the U.S. Supreme Court on trademarks last month, a small group of companies and individuals are hoping to trademark racially charged words and symbols for their products, including the N-word and a swastika.

In a report from Reuters, at least nine such applications have been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) following the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling to get rid of federal law prohibiting disparaging trademarks, with the court stating the law violated free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution.

READ: New York Woman Running For Office Defends Use Of N-Word

“We’re now opening the door, chipping away at what’s acceptable under cultural norms,” Attorney David Bell, a trademark expert with the law firm Haynes and Boone, said. “I think it could be a slippery slope, where you get more people and companies thinking, ‘This is okay.'”

If the applicants follow through, products ranging from clothing and energy drinks to flags and toilet paper could become branded with the offensive material. Also, because they are federally registered trademarks, they can protect businesses against unauthorized uses of their brands, too.

According to PTO records, seven trademark applications for versions of the N-word, have been filed. One such application was filed by a white man named Steve Maynard, a Virginia consultant who helps others obtain trademarks and is the founder of Snowflake Enterprises.

The company has submitted applications to trademark a version of the N-word to appear on clothing, hard liquor and beer, and intends to turn the slur into a brand. Maynard even described one item featuring a picture of Martin Luther King with the N-word and a question mark underneath it. Regardless, Maynard insists he is “not at all” racist.

“We want to desensitize it, we want to provoke questions, we want to spark conversation and not suppress,” Maynard said during an interview with WUSA9. Maynard remained anonymous during the video interview, having reportedly received death threats from white supremacists for also hoping to trademark the swastika.