Advanced Armament logo (courtesy washingtonpost.com)

Over at washingtonpost.com, legal eagle Eugene Volkh reports that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has finally approved the above image for Advanced Armament Silencers. This “more than four years after the application was filed, and nearly two years after the initial hearing on appeal.” Apparently the image fell afoul of the Patent Office’s stricture against “shocking, offensive and disparaging images.” The Appeals Board disagreed, arguing “that the mark does not depict the Statue of Liberty in a threatening pose or in any manner suggestive of criminal activity. Indeed, it may be viewed by many as suggestive of, and consistent with, the right to bear arms that is enshrined in the Constitution. The disclaimed wording MADE IN THE USA, appearing below the statue, would seem to reinforce such a view.” Result.

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34 COMMENTS

  2. Ironic that Lady Liberty was actually made in France.

    Doubly Ironic that the French have no problem with silencers for noise pollution reasons.

    • of course she is. she had to deal with 4 years of idiotic bureaucrats calling her “shocking, offensive and disparaging”.

  9. I like the trademark, and can see no reason that it would be considered offensive. As to her looking angry, I would blame the original sculptor of the statue for using a very stoic face on Ms. Liberty. I have seen the statue up close and in person, and although the concept of Lady Liberty in the harbour is beautiful, the facial features of the stature are not those of a beautiful, happy woman.

  11. I don’t believe that the trademark is shocking, offensive or disparaging, but I do think it’s ugly.

  14. From the decision by the appeals board:
    “The evidence submitted by the examining attorney involving negative reactions to depictions of the Statue of Liberty with handguns or in connection with violent imagery does not dispel our doubt that applicant’s mark should be refused registration on the basis of scandalousness. The website and article excerpts [submitted by the examining attorney, and discussed in other parts of the opinion -EV] do not deal with the mark at hand and are few in number…. ”

    The extremist nature of the anti civil rights/gun rights propaganda machine minimizes the utility of their efforts. Their drive to generate hysteria via online echo chambers is failing to translate into the widespread public support they claim to have. Instead, a small number of useful idiots seem to be competing with each other in a race to the bottom. Lies, vile threats, juvenile reasoning and gutter humor posted online do not help in legal or quasi legal proceedings.

  15. I like it. Combine Lady Liberty holding the tool defending freedom and the blind folded woman holding the scales of justice; Justice/freedom in one hand and the tool to defend it in the other.

  16. I’d think she would be more upset being depicted as a street walking prostitute, every year around tax time.

    • I agree, especially as she’s aiming the weapon into the air. The personification of America should not be firing indiscriminately into the air, carelessly causing destruction and death. It’s like an anti-American caricature of an American “yeehaw” yokel firing their guns into the air. It’s no laughing matter, dozens of people die every year from celebratory skyward gunfire, many more are injured and property damage is common (damaged roofs, for example). Lady Liberty has her finger on the trigger while her muzzle is not pointed in a safe direction. If a firearms manufacturer represents themselves with a depiction of unsafe and irresponsible firearms handling I am less likely to purchase from them. It’s a bad logo. Even if they change the finger, it will still be an awkward design.

  20. If she put her torch down, she should have an NVG monocle. We’ll have to change the stupid poem.

    Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
    With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
    Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
    A mighty woman with a [silenced pistol] torch, whose [report is muffled in the] flame
    Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
    Mother of Exiles. From her [strong-] beacon-hand
    [Dares] Glows world-wide [interlopers] welcome; her mild eyes command
    The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
    “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
    With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
    Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
    The wretched refuse of your teeming shore [that wish to stand together, so armed].
    Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
    I lift my [weapon] lamp beside the golden door!”

    Bring me your tired, your poor . . . ahhh shut up you Commie, you got nothing to do with the bronze lady who lets you live in her basement.

    P.S. – I am a Yankee (YHM fan) to the bones of my bones, but GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU AAC. You are clearly one of those who see to it that Lady Liberty steps free from her chains!!!

  23. I’m generally not a fan of using historic icons like this for advertising and other commercial purposes. The guys in Statue of Liberty costumes twirling signs and pushing Liberty Tax return services on the side of the road are just tacky, for example. Neither do I like to see cartoon images of Washington and Lincoln shouting about the insane deals to be had down at Joe’s Used Appliances Shack on Presidents Day.

    That said, there’s a whole lot of real estate out there with plenty of room for tackiness without making a, literally, federal case out of it. This logo doesn’t appeal to me, personally, but that’s only relevant insofar as anyone at AAC Silencers asked me for my opinion, which I can report they did not.

    This doesn’t suit my taste, but I’m not seeing anything shocking, offensive or disparaging here. If anything, and on the contrary, it might be a little too plain and unenforceable for being too generic. Nevertheless, I’d say this is fine and would approve the trademark application.

  24. Never noticed the absence of a TM symbol on any of the boxes I’ve got from them. Good for them.

  25. When is AAC going to spin off of the Freedom Group so that I can get interested in their products again?

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