Have you noticed how many brands in the marketplace use indigenous/Native American - oriented terms and imagery? From the notorious Washington Team to the logo on Land of Lakes butter, indigenous imagery and appropriation is everywhere, and worthy of serious study and data analysis. This project aims to bring the work of social movements and activism to a data-intensive study of First Nations brands and trademarks in order to chart a path forward. In this project, we will study how many of these terms are owned by native vs. non-native entities, study how these brands have changed over time, and how the law might be better deployed to protect ownership of indigenously oriented trademarks, and encourage retiring marks that are considered offensive or appropriative. We are looking for students who are interested in the intersection of data analysis, law/policy, and attention to minority representation to help with data visualization and collection to create a compelling study of brands and their intersection with social movements in the marketplace.

See our work here

Term
Fall 2020
Topic
Humanities
Industry/Economics
Social Sciences