HIP

The thin red line, separates right from left.

An extract of a Fritz Hansen ad from Wallpaper magazine. Some say the biggest commodity of our generation is creative knowledge and hence the need for strong Intellectual Property Rights. But there is a strong minority (don't overlook the site's 'legal disclaimer contract'!) that feels betrayed by such rights. Rights that were created to protect and stimulate creativity, they say have been used to suppress creativity and shelter monopolist. In an act of protest, the term "Freedom of Expression" has been registered as a USPTO trademark by an activist. Although the mark falls under class 16 ISGS, which covers, in short, printed matter, it is still ironic. The trademark owner Kembrew McLeod found it disturbing that:

"At first, the USPTO informed me that parts of my application were 'not acceptable', but not because the thought of cordoning off 'freedom of expression' was troubling. No one at the USPTO seemed to be morally, socially or politically unsettled by this notion. Instead, a civil servant lawyer explained to me that it was unacceptable because I had filled out the application incorrectly: 'the mark is not typed entirely in capital letters'."
~Freedom of Expression, Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property

Design houses like Fritz Hansen thrive on creativity and rightfully seek to protect their original works; And artists want to express themselves without fear of ending up in court. Like almost everything in life, a balance is required. That has never been an issue. The big grouse is where to draw the line.