Firm prevails upon Copyright Office to register Dead Kennedys logo

May 7, 2020 — A three-person panel of the U.S. Copyright Office Review Board today sided with firm client DEAD KENNEDYS, accepting the firm’s arguments on the band’s behalf and reversing a refusal of the Copyright Office’s examiner to register the iconic DK logo. The Office examiner initially declined the band’s copyright registration, and confirmed that decision on a request for reconsideration, citing supposed insufficient creative elements in the logo’s design. The firm took up the matter for the client, filing an administrative appeal to the Review Board. In its letter brief, the firm pointed to the unique artistic and design elements in the band’s logo, as well as its history as an ubiquitous piece of punk rock agitprop recognized in the U.S. and throughout the World. The concept for the DK logo was originally conceived by band member East Bay Ray, who placed a stylized DK on his guitar using masking tape; band member Jello Biafra later took Ray’s concept to graphic artist Winston Smith, who created the copyrighted piece specifically for the band.