On October 31, Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, two radio hosts for the show Civic Cipher, reported that they owned the trademark rights to the term “White Lives Matter.” The two Black hosts were granted the rights to it by a fan of the show on October 28, who filed the term back in 2020 to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands. In addition, an application for “All Lives Matter” is said to have been made.
In the “BigBoyTv” podcast by Kurt Alexander, better known as Big Boy, the two presenters said the rights were actually transferred to “Civic Cipher”. Because Ja and Ward own the show, the rights automatically belong to them. They founded their show in 2020 to “create a political, social justice-focused show that critically informs hip-hop audiences across the country.” As such, their goal is to do as much good for Black people as possible with the right-wing. “If we were to sell this brand, we could donate the money to organizations that we believe benefit black people, like the NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] or Black Lives Matter”. They are aware that they cannot completely prevent the existence of the shirts, since things like injunctive relief would be complex and cost money.
Speaking of Kanye West, Ramses Ja says, “It’s hurtful, but it’s not unexpected because I know Kanye has been moving in this direction for a while. I’m doing my best to remember the Kanye I knew in 2004 and 2005. The Kanye who said George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
Kanye West had handed out dozens of White Lives Matter shirts in Skid Row, a Los Angeles neighborhood, after wearing the shirts alongside Candace Owens at Paris Fashion Week. Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward say American law allows anyone to make and wear shirts, whether or not they own the rights, but prohibits sale.