Signal boost: Petition related to US trademark of the term "invisible disability"

[untonuggan]

So I try not to put too much of the politics on dreamwidth and reserve my politics rage/rants for Twitter, but this concerns a lot of folks here and is also just...outrageous. Egregious. Many adjectives.

A non-profit (@InvDisability) has trademarked the term "invisible disabilities" and apparently is enforcing it by stopping disabled individuals and organizations from using the term. ALL THE RAGE.

There is a Storify of tweets about it for more info.

There is a Change.org petition (with a sadly small number of signatures) to end the trademark of an identity.

If you can, please help signal boost, as I am currently low on spoons.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Signed. What the fuck. Ugh.

[untonuggan]

Thanks. And yeah, what the actual everliving every variation of the word fuck I can think of.

[untonuggan]

(I just finished watching Avatar: the Last Airbender, so forgive copious references).

If I was the Avatar, the rage I feel would trigger Avatar form and some sort of massive whirlwind of destruction.

Or perhaps more aptly, if I were Toph there would be MUCH EARTHBENDING.

(note to self: get Toph icon)

[capri0mni]

Signed and commented.

And, yeah. I have an icon for this...

[untonuggan]

your icon is perfect.

[capri0mni]

Thank you!

[kittydesade]

What in the actual fuck.

I mean, at least it's a trademark rather than a copyright, but still. Ain't no one got time for that bullshit, especially not the disabled.

[untonuggan]

yup

[the_rck]

Signed.

Also your crossposts lost the link, so I commented on both posts with it.

[untonuggan]

ah, thank you! i must have not posted on the html side or something.

[shehasathree]

wtffff

[tyger]

Just when I had started to forget how gross humans can be!!!

Uuuugh. Signed.

[altamira16]

What does it really mean to have a trademark on the term? Are they actually telling other people to take down their material? I am seeing this outraged post.

Searching the USPTO for the trademarks involving invisible disabilities, you can see here (by doing a basic search for "invisible disabilities") that "The Invisible Disabilities Advocate" and "Invisible Disabilities" are trademarked by IDA, but you also have "The Invisible Disabilities Project" that also has a trademark. Could "The Invisible Disabilities Project" say something about "Invisible Disabilities" just being too broad to trademark?

[untonuggan]

hey, sorry for taking a awhile to respond! i had sensory overload and my brain went "no words for you and also ahhhh social interactions."

according to this medium article, the IDA has used the trademark to have Facebook pull some other advocacy groups for trademark infringement (although they have been reinstated).

I think now people are generally pissed at how problematic the IDA is in general and are looking for ways to get this ridiculous trademark off the books.

still trying to figure out HOW it was even approved tbh.