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Page Number: 14

Cite as:  588 U. S. ____ (2019) 

1 

ALITO, J., concurring 

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 

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No. 18–302 
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ANDREI IANCU, UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 
FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND DIRECTOR, 
PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, 
PETITIONER v. ERIK BRUNETTI 

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF 
APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT 

[June 24, 2019] 

JUSTICE ALITO, concurring. 
For  the  reasons  explained  in  the  opinion  of  the  Court, 
the  provision  of  the  Lanham  Act  at  issue  in  this  case 
violates  the  Free  Speech  Clause  of  the  First  Amendment 
because  it  discriminates  on  the  basis  of  viewpoint  and 
cannot  be  fixed  without  rewriting  the  statute.    Viewpoint
discrimination  is  poison  to  a  free  society.  But  in  many
countries  with  constitutions  or  legal  traditions  that  claim
to protect freedom of speech, serious viewpoint discrimina-
tion is now tolerated, and such discrimination has become 
increasingly  prevalent  in  this  country.    At  a  time  when 
free  speech  is  under  attack,  it  is  especially  important  for 
this  Court  to  remain  firm  on  the  principle  that  the  First
Amendment  does  not  tolerate  viewpoint  discrimination. 
We reaffirm that principle today.   

Our decision is not based on moral relativism but on the 
recognition that a law banning speech deemed by govern-
ment  officials  to  be  “immoral”  or  “scandalous”  can  easily 
be  exploited  for  illegitimate  ends.  Our  decision  does  not 
prevent  Congress  from  adopting  a  more  carefully  focused 
statute  that  precludes  the  registration  of  marks  contain-
ing vulgar terms that play no real part in the expression of 
ideas.  The particular mark in question in this case could