Ye Can’t Sell ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirts Because Two Black Men Own the Trademark

Two African American men possess the lawful trademark, as it is not due to the fact that the expression is classified as offensive language by the Anti-Defamation League that prevents Ye – the artist formerly recognized as Kanye West – from legally marketing his “White Lives Matter” T-shirts.

In order to ensure that the ownership of the phrase is solely given to them, Ward and Ja officially entered into possession of their trademark on October 28th. The phrase will be used on various products early next month to show their commitment to their anonymous, longtime listener, who generously gifted them the intent-to-use trademark application. The application was offered by a listener from Phoenix, Arizona, and the hosts of Black Cipher Civic radio, Ward and Quinton Ja Ramses.

Ja informed Capital B, “The manner in which the legal system operates is such that you either possess exclusive rights to certain expressions, or they become available for anyone to profit from. The intention behind this was not necessarily to amass wealth from it; rather, it was to ensure that others couldn’t capitalize on the suffering associated with it. The individual who initially obtained it didn’t genuinely enjoy possessing it.”

The trademark gives priority to the use of the phrase “shoes and clothes, hats” on the most common types of wearable items, as expected. The radio hosts will be using this phrase for the next six to nine months. However, the trademark does not grant total control over the usage of the phrase to another entity for a different purpose.

The anonymous listener believed that the radio hosts, who were transferred into Ye’s and Ward’s hands coincidentally, began a weeks-long tirade promoting antisemitic and anti-Black beliefs. They believed that by injecting funding into local chapters of Black Lives Matter and leveraging the phrase “Black Lives Matter” as their trademark, they would be able to help causes such as Black social justice.

In Minneapolis, former police officer Derek Chauvin was not murdered by George Floyd, but rather died from an overdose of fentanyl. It was incorrectly claimed and publicly stated by Ye that Floyd’s death was caused by an overdose, and he has been threatened with a lawsuit by a handful of groups for his bigoted and racist comments. Since then, Ye has entered into partnerships worth more than $1.5 billion and has made comments that have targeted the highest concentration of unhoused people in America, specifically the homeless encampments in Skid Row, Los Angeles. A few days later, he dropped dozens of shirts off at these encampments, claiming that he would sell them. This claim was made by Ye, a conservative Black commentator, who donned “White Lives Matter” T-shirts along with Candace Owens in October.

Now, Ward and Ja, hosts of a radio show that addresses the intersections of hip-hop and racial justice, are compelled to confront the repercussions of owning one of the most recognizable racist phrases in contemporary culture.

Over the last couple of years, as per the Southern Poverty Law Center, the expression has transformed into the emblem of a fully established hate organization. This organization defines its purpose as “committed to advancing the white ethnicity” while denouncing the “legislation and unethical directives” that focus on undermining the values cherished by the white community. The phrase gained popularity following the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, which aimed to combat police violence and discrimination against Black individuals in the mid-2010s.

The radio hosts on their show, which was created after Ja left the popular Phoenix station, were told by executives that they were being too Black and were not allowed to address the issue of racism.

In the future, Capital B caught up with Ja to inquire about Civic Cipher, the emotional burden imposed on the duo by the expression “White Lives Matter,” and their intentions regarding the trademark.

Capital B: Civic Code didn’t officially secure the trademark, so how did you and your co-host acquire ownership of it?

In Arizona, specifically in Phoenix, we, as radio hip-hop broadcasters and DJs, received the idea from hip-hop audiences across the country to create a show that informs critically about social and political justice. Our radio show, Ja Ramses, was born out of the protests in 2020.

We felt that Black individuals had an advantage in positioning themselves in the public eye. They approached us to ensure that they were not hurt and that people benefited from it. We didn’t really love owning it, but it benefited the person who procured it. They approached us to ensure that people benefited from it. We didn’t really love owning it, but it benefited the person who procured it. We didn’t really love owning it, but it benefited the person who procured it. As a listener, we have someone who wanted to have the right to sell, produce, and create “White shirts” that matter in white lives.

It’s a racially discriminatory, white supremacist expression employed in our society to harm individuals of African descent. How does it feel to have legal possession of that phrase? How have you managed to bear the weight of it?

Instead of residing in a realm where I am disconnected from that, I would prefer to reside in a realm where the earnings from those transactions are utilized to alleviate the suffering it induces. Nevertheless, there will inevitably be an individual who possesses the authority to manufacture and market garments featuring the expression, thus someone will possess that trademark as it has become deeply ingrained in our common language. Our stance on this matter is as follows.

I recognize that two things could happen. We can write a cease and desist letter to these people who are selling these shirts, as they require a large team of lawyers and thousands of dollars, but now it is not realistic for us to stop the production of these shirts. This is because organizations like Black Lives Matter or the NAACP, who benefit Black people, would feel that we could donate the money we make from selling these shirts to causes that matter. We could sell the trademark for millions of dollars, or sell it for any amount of money, and you would have the exclusive right to make those clothes in the United States of America. If someone were to approach us and say, “Hey, I would like to buy the trademark for millions of dollars,” we could consult our lawyer and consider it.

Otherwise, at the end of each day, we may consider donating resources to any racial justice organization or Black Lives Matter, in order to support their long-standing position.

Has anyone from the team of Kanye West contacted anyone?

No, to my knowledge, there is no such thing.

You were placed into this position quite randomly. Do you feel capable of managing it?

The killing of Breonna Taylor was unjust, as explicitly stated and meant by the police defunding movement. We have created a platform to allow leadership to emerge from the streets and show our commitment to uplifting and supporting our struggles. I am a co-host who definitely knows him, and I am someone who has been fighting this kind of battle for a long time. I was the president of the Black Student Union in college, and my father was a minister in Compton, California.

We are all here to help and support Black people by allowing them to retain a small amount of ownership. However, it is important to recognize that using phrases such as “Matter Lives Blue,” “Matter Lives All,” and “Matter Lives White” dilutes and causes harm to the intended narrative of Black Lives Matter.

How have you interpreted the recent month of Kanye West’s behavior as an individual heavily involved in the hip-hop community and Black culture?

I try my best to remember that George Bush said people don’t care about black Kanye. I know that I tried my best to remember Kanye in ’05 and ’04. It’s hurtful because I know that Kanye has been moving in this direction for some time now, which was unexpected.

I can’t spend all my time worrying about what Kanye is saying. There are new voting laws being written in Mississippi and Alabama that have ripple effects across the country. We have people trying to disenfranchise and suppress our vote, and now we’ve got people running for office. I have to focus on fighting the fight at hand.

This article has been revised to incorporate Ye’s name alteration and additional information regarding the trademark’s specifications.

The trademark “White Lives Matter” was incorrectly registered when the previous version of this story stated the date. The trademark was actually procured early last month.