USPTO challenged over compliance with court mandate in The Slants case

Simon Tam’s battle to secure a trademark registration for the name of his band, The Slants, took a new twist this week when – frustrated by the USPTO’s decision not to initiate further proceedings following the recent Federal Circuit decision – he filed a petition for a writ of mandamus to the director of the USPTO, asking the court to order the office to publish the mark for opposition in the Official Gazette.