A trademark application for use of the phrase “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” has been filed with the US government, in a move that could potentially – though it is unlikely – make it legally impossible for anti-Israel individuals and groups to use it.
The application, filed late last week, was submitted by someone Joel Ackerman, a resident of New Jersey. It isn’t clear what affiliations he has, but he certainly has a Jewish name.
The move is but another brilliant example of the “Yiddishe Kop” working to hamper the plans of its antisemitic foes.
However, it’s worth noting that the application likely won’t even be looked at by trademark officials for months. Additionally, it is highly unlikely that it will be approved, and even if it is, it would only apply to hats and t-shirts.
Moreover, it appears that another individual or group filed a week prior for the very same trademark, so that would have priority over this one, which is going viral.
Even so, if you’re the one who submitted this application, YWN would love to hear from you! Contact us by clicking here.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
Is this the law student from Yale who was being disciplined for complaining about campus discrimination?
You can apply for a trademark on anything.
You won’t necessarily be granted the trademark.
Enforcing a tenuous trademark is difficult near on impossible.
Taco Bell just sued another (smaller) taco chain for their trademark on “taco Tuesday” on the basis that the term has entered the public conscience.
They ended up settling with the other taco chain releasing the trademark to the public domain.
TLDR: you can apply for the trademark but you won’t get it. If you get it you won’t be able to enforce it.
Even if he got the trademark for using the phrase on hats and shirts (which he won’t), that wouldn’t stop anyone from using it on flyers and in chants. The only purpose of trademarks is to protect consumers from being fooled by knock-off products; wherever there is no possibility of consumer confusion anyone can use them.
I’ve filed many trademarks – there’s no chance that a commonly used slogan can be trademarked, and if somehow it slips through it will not be enforceable.
The person that filed the application is a law student and also writes for the Lakewood scoop.