Proud Boys Lose Trademark Control to Black Church Following Vandalism Incident
The Proud Boys have lost control over their trademark due to a court ruling that favors a Black church they vandalized, preventing them from using their name or symbols for merchandise.
A Washington judge ruled on Monday that the far-right group Proud Boys has lost control over its trademark name and symbols, after the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church successfully sued the group for vandalism. The church won a default judgment of $2.8 million against the Proud Boys for a violent attack in December 2020.
The ruling, made by Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, prohibits the Proud Boys from using their name or symbols for merchandise without the church's consent. This judgment follows a series of events in which members of the Proud Boys vandalized the church during a pro-Trump rally.
The church characterized the Proud Boys' actions as “acts of terror” aimed at intimidating it while suppressing its support for racial justice. The judge agreed, condemning the group's conduct as "hateful and overtly racist."
With the ruling, the church has the possibility to seize any profits the Proud Boys may make through merchandise that includes their name or logos, such as hats and T-shirts.
The Proud Boys' former leader Enrique Tarrio and his associates were involved in the church's attack, which led to Tarrio's later arrest and sentencing for seditious conspiracy. Tarrio has since received a pardon from former President Trump.
The banner-burning incident has had lasting effects on the relationship between the Proud Boys and law enforcement, bringing about a bitter divide that changed their previous ties with the police.
