The Hypocrisy of Courts
Today I’m writing about trademarks and abortions in the same post. Sounds crazy, but the court cases are very related in showing the religious extremism and misogyny prevalent in our courts. So here we go with some background:
In Texas, one of the the laws banning abortion actually gives ANY rando the right to sue for damages if a woman obtains an abortion more than two weeks after missing a period. SCOTUS lets this law stand, even though the litigious rando has suffered no injury.
In a separate case about trademarks, an appeals board (Trademark Trial and Appeals Board, TTAB) decided that “consumers” have no standing to oppose registration of a trademark. Specifically, they decided that regular people like you and me can’t stop a megacorporation from registering a trademark even if you and I would be harmed by it. Indeed, only other corporations can sue. I’m an attorney by day, and I have to admit this case drives me crazy. The entire purpose of a trademark is to protect the consumers, and yet consumers can’t oppose a trademark! Only the competitors of the trademark holder can! Really?
Taken together, these decisions mean a complete stranger can profit by $20,000 when a woman seeks healthcare for herself, but people who are actually confused or ripped off by a misleading trademark can’t get that trademark blocked. This is what happens when those in charge impose their values on the country.