Rockers face court hearing over 'slur'

An Asian-American rock band called the Slants tried in 2011 to trademark its name, but the US Patent and Trademark Office declined, citing the moniker's likelihood to disparage many people of Asian descent. The band's leader, Simon Tam, sued on First Amendment grounds.

Tam won on appeal last year, when the Federal Circuit struck down part of a 1946 law that prohibits registering trademarks that may denigrate "persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols." But the US Supreme Court justices agreed on Thursday to hear a challenge from the government early next year.

The case could carry weighty implications for an unrelated but more widely publicized trademark matter involving the controversially dubbed Washington Redskins football team, and it could provide legal clarity more generally on viewpoint discrimination and government speech, legal experts said.