Taiwan soap company denied trademark because name ‘refers to gay sex’

IP office says the name Soap Picker would be 'detrimental to good morals'

Soap Picker's logo incorporates a buttocks in its design.

Photo via Facebook

29 July 2015 by Darren Wee

A handmade soap company in Taiwan had its trademark application denied because its name ‘refers to gay sex’ and would be ‘detrimental to good morals.’

The owner of Soap Picker Studios, Miss Chiang, posted a letter from the Intellectual Property Office on Facebook that said the term ‘pick up the soap’ referred to ‘gay men’s sexual behavior.’
The letter, dated 28 July, goes to say that the name would give an ‘unpleasant impression’ and therefore it could not be registered under regulations on trademarks ‘detrimental to public order or good morals.’
Jiang has already appealed the decision.
‘Strange, since you are a girl, if gay men want  got to do with you!’ she wrote on Facebook, referring to a Miss Kuo at the IP office.
Soap Picker’s logo designer, Kris Chu, criticized the IP office’s action as ‘not only arrogant, but also discriminatory.’
He admitted that the logo incorporates a human buttocks in its design, but said businesses had the right to choose what logo to use.
He said the intellectual property department could only advise businesses to reconsider, not deny registration.