SCANDALOUS SUBJECT MATTER
scandalous subject matter.Trademarks. A word, phrase, symbol, or graphic depiction that the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may refuse to register because it is shockingly offensive to
social mores. • Although the Lanham Act uses the phrase “immoral, deceptive, or scandalous
subject matter,” courts have not distinguished “scandalous” from “immoral.” [Cases: Trade
Regulation 161. C.J.S. Trade-Marks, Trade-Names, and Unfair Competition § 159.] [Blacks Law 8th]