Two Black radio hosts from Arizona now own the U.S. trademark application for the term “White Lives Matter” to prevent rapper Kanye West from making money off the phrase.
Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward co-host Civic Cipher, a weekly radio show focused on racial justice out of Phoenix. They told nonprofit news outlet Capital B this week that a longtime listener transferred ownership of the application to the hosts late last month.
The trademark application was originally filed on Oct. 3 — the same day that Mr. West made headlines for hosting a Paris fashion show where he and other models wore clothing sporting the phrase.
Owning the trademark prohibits anyone from selling t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and more that have “White Lives Matter” on them.
“This individual didn’t want to produce those shirts, but rather it’s my understanding that they were doing it to ensure that the right people benefited from it,” Mr. Ja told Capital B. “This person procured it but didn’t really love owning it, so they approached us to ensure that the right people benefit from it and that people aren’t hurt by it. They felt we were in a much more public position to use it to the advantage of Black folks.”
Mr. Ja said that if anyone wants to buy the trademark from them, the money would go toward organizations such as the NAACP or Black Lives Matter.
He admitted that the two hosts don’t have the money to hire a team of lawyers who can send out cease and desist letters to people who try to profit from the phrase.
In that case, Mr. Ja said that they may donate the trademark to Black Lives Matter or a similar organization who has the resources to better police its use.
The Washington Times has reached out to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to clarify the timeline of the application, since most trademarks take 12 to 18 months before they are approved.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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