Brown flags conservative student newspaper for trademark violations after publishing anti-DEI database
Brown University charged the conservative-leaning Brown Spectator with trademark violations for using 'Brown' in its name.
Students allege that this is selective enforcement, pointing out that The Brown Daily Herald has not faced similar action.
Brown University has charged a conservative student newspaper, which recently saw a board member publish information about the school’s extensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy, with trademark violations in what students say is an act of retaliation.
“Brown has just charged every member of the board of directors of The Brown Spectator for violating Brown’s ‘Name Use, Trademark, and Licensing Policy’ for having the word ‘Brown’ in the name of our independent non-profit and our website domain,” Brown student Alex Shieh told Fox News.
Shieh is a board member at The Brown Spectator, as noted by The Washington Free Beacon.
In a May 9 X post, Shieh asserted that the crackdown of the Spectator is about “retaliation,” not “trademarks.” Specifically, he pointed to The Brown Daily Herald, saying that the newspaper, which also uses “Brown” in its name, has not been charged.
Shieh contended that “our use case falls squarely under the doctrine of descriptive fair use. There’s a reason every student newspaper in the country alludes to their school in its name without issue.” Shieh also described the enforcement procedure against the Spectator as “selective.”
Campus Reform reported earlier this year that the Brown administration threatened Shieh with disciplinary sanctions after he published information about how much money the school spends on DEI.
Shieh created a website called “Bloat@Brown,” which explained how the university spends its money on DEI officials and policies. The university quickly denied Shieh’s reporting, calling it “false.”
“The website appeared to utilize information and data which could only be obtained from non-public sources and systems,” Brown University spokesperson Brian E. Clark noted at the time.
On May 14, the university informed Shieh that the charges against him had been dropped. The university terminated the disciplinary action against Shieh after the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression stepped in on the student’s behalf, according to CBS News.
Campus Reform has contacted Brown University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
