Ye Can’t Sell “White Lives Matter” Merch Because Two Black Activists Own The Trademark

In early October, Kanye West went viral for wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt during Paris Fashion Week.

If Ye intended to sell the shirts, he can’t or any merchandise using the phrase.

It’s not because the phrase is designated as hate speech by the Anti-Defamation League, it’s because two Black men legally own the trademark.

White Lives Matter trademark legally owned

Rames Ja and Quinton Ward, radio hosts of the socially conscious show Civic Cipher, were gifted the trademark from a longtime, anonymous listener of their show.

Civic Cipher dives deep into conversations regarding political representation, voter disenfranchisement, voter suppression and police brutality.

The listener acquired ownership of the phrase early last month to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands, and offered to transfer the trademark to Ja and Ward in September.

“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,” Ja told Capital B news. “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.”

The trademark officially became theirs on Oct. 28, giving them sole ownership over the phrase and the ability to sue anyone who uses the saying for monetary gain.

Kanye West’s team has not reached out about using the phrase, according to Ja and Ward.

Critical feedback over the ownership

Owning a phrase like White Lives Matter could result in critical feedback for the hosts about what they should or shouldn’t do with their ownership of the trademark.

“That was part of the scary thing about being assigned this trademark. Ramses and I walked 4 or 5 miles that day just kind of trying to wrap our head around what just happened,” Ward told NPR. “And we understood that there was going to be some responsibility that came with that, some backlash, some people that don’t understand. But we’re equipped to have those conversations.”

The duo said they have not decided what to do with the trademark, but would consider donating it to an organization with the resources to prevent it from being exploited.