Talk:Simon Tam

Proposed revision to lead section (COI disclosure)

I am Simon Tam, the subject of this article, and I have a conflict of interest. I am requesting feedback from uninvolved editors on a proposed revision to the lead section.

I believe the current lead may not fully reflect the emphasis given in independent reliable sources, particularly coverage relating to *Matal v. Tam* and subsequent First Amendment-related work. Several legal and civic sources frequently describe me in connection with the Supreme Court case rather than primarily through music or entrepreneurship.

For consideration, I am proposing the following revised lead:

Simon Tam (born March 30, 1981) is an American author, musician, and First Amendment advocate best known as the central figure in *Matal v. Tam* (2017), a unanimous United States Supreme Court decision that struck down the disparagement clause of the Lanham Act as a violation of the First Amendment. He is the founder and bassist of the Asian American dance-rock band The Slants.

Tam is the author of *Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court* and has been involved in First Amendment and intellectual property advocacy following the *Matal v. Tam* decision.

He has been recognized for his work in free speech and intellectual property law, including receiving the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award and the American Bar Association’s Mark T. Banner Award for Intellectual Property Law.

This revision does not remove major factual content but adjusts ordering and emphasis to better reflect how independent reliable sources describe my notability, consistent with Wikipedia’s policies on neutral point of view and due weight.

Supporting sources include coverage from legal and civic publications and institutions such as the World Trademark Review, programming from the National Constitution Center, coverage and recognition from the American Bar Association, and other legal commentary discussing the *Matal v. Tam* decision and its First Amendment implications.

I welcome feedback from uninvolved editors on whether this proposed wording better reflects due weight, or whether further adjustments would improve neutrality and balance. SimonTheTam (talk) 17:53, 12 June 2026 (UTC)

Hi @SimonTheTam, thank you for disclosing your WP:conflict of interest and using the edit request process. Can you provide sources that would justify this change? WP:Reliable sources would be preferred, WP:Secondary sources even more. 🌊PacificDepths (talk | contrib) 08:47, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for the quick response and for reviewing my request. Below are independent sources supporting the proposed wording and the reordering of the lead.

First Amendment / legal identity

Georgetown Law published a feature on my appearance discussing Matal v. Tam and First Amendment issues: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/musician-activist-simon-tam-speaks-at-georgetown-law-about-his-landmark-supreme-court-case-matal-v-tam/

The National Constitution Center describes my story and work in connection with First Amendment programming and exhibits: https://constitutioncenter.org/about/press-room/press-releases/national-constitution-center-celebrates-236th-anniversary-of-the-signing-of-the-constitution

The National Constitution Center also features me in a First Amendment podcast episode: https://constitutioncenter.org/news-debate/podcasts/1ausa-bonus-simon-tam-and-the-slants

The ABA's Mark T. Banner Award page shows that the award recognizes impact on intellectual property law: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/intellectual_property_law/about/awards-initiatives/banner-award/

The ABA Journal identifies me in the context of that award and IP law: https://www.abajournal.com/books/article/podcast-episode-103

The Hugh M. Hefner Foundation's announcement recognizes my First Amendment-related work: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/05/15/1503749/0/en/Hugh-M-Hefner-Foundation-Announces-2018-First-Amendment-Award-Winners.html

Speaking / public advocacy

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay titled an event "First Amendment and Trademark with Simon Tam," which frames me in that legal context: https://news.uwgb.edu/phlash/news/04/24/final-reminder-first-amendment-and-trademark-with-simon-tam-is-sunday-april-28/

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga describes me as a keynote speaker associated with a landmark free speech case: https://blog.utc.edu/news/2022/11/self-proclaimed-troublemaker-to-share-his-story-at-utc/

Role in Matal v. Tam

The Supreme Court opinion identifies me as the respondent in Matal v. Tam: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/15-1293_1o13.pdf

Harvard Law Review provides secondary legal coverage discussing the case and my role in it: https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-131/matal-v-tam/

Taken together, these sources support describing me in the lead as an author, musician, and First Amendment advocate best known for Matal v. Tam, with my music role remaining included but not foregrounded. I welcome any feedback if narrower wording would better reflect Wikipedia's due weight and neutrality standards.

One note for transparency: some sources, including the Supreme Court opinion itself, incorrectly identify me as "lead singer" rather than "bassist." I wanted to flag this so it does not create confusion — the existing Wikipedia article on Matal v. Tam correctly identifies me as "founder and bassist."

SimonTheTam (talk) SimonTheTam (talk) 13:19, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

 Done 🌊PacificDepths (talk | contrib) 01:25, 4 July 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for your work on the article and for taking the time to consider the points I raised — I appreciate the care you've put into it. SimonTheTam (talk) 01:43, 4 July 2026 (UTC)

Sources for citation-needed tags (full name, discography, bibliography, awards)

Thank you for the markups — happy to provide sources for each tagged item. I've organized them below by section. As always, I'm disclosing my conflict of interest as the article subject and submitting these for your review rather than editing directly.

1. Full name and birth year

My full name is discussed in my memoir: Tam, Simon. Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court. Nashville, TN: Troublemaker Press, 2019, p. 239.

My full legal name also appears in the official Federal Circuit record: In re Tam, 808 F.3d 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2015), available at https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/cafc/14-1203/14-1203-2015-12-22.html

Regarding the birthdate: per WP:DOB, I'd prefer that my full date of birth not be published, and would ask that the article list only the birth year if a date is included at all. If the current full date could be reduced to the birth year, I'd appreciate it.

2. Discography

• AllMusic (partial credits): https://www.allmusic.com/artist/simon-tam-mn0001884777
• Discogs, The Slants: https://www.discogs.com/artist/6219221-The-Slants
• 27: The Most Perfect Album (WNYC): https://project.wnyc.org/themostperfectalbum/
• The Stivs, Sweet Heartache and the Satisfaction (Discogs): https://www.discogs.com/release/8537512-The-Stivs-Sweet-Heartache-And-The-Satisfaction

3. Bibliography

• WorldCat entry for Slanted: https://search.worldcat.org/title/1464758406
• Oregon Humanities, "Trademark Offense": https://www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine/safe-summer-2015/trademark-offense/
• Oregon Humanities, "Day of Judgment": https://www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine/turn/day-of-judgment/
• New York Times op-ed, "The Power of Repurposing a Slur": https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/opinion/the-power-of-repurposing-a-slur.html (also republished in The Bill of Rights: A User's Guide, ISBN 031641560X)
• Author pages for reference, if useful: Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6481707.Simon_S_Tam) and Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/stores/Simon-Tam/author/B007YTB25W)

4. Honors and Awards

• Mark T. Banner Award (American Bar Association): https://www.americanbar.org/groups/intellectual_property_law/about/awards-initiatives/banner-award/
• Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award: https://www.hmhfoundation.org/awards-history-past-judges-winners/
• Milestone Case of the Year, Managing IP Americas Awards 2018: https://www.managingip.com/article/2a9b8i6p0y7eg2u4zbb40/managing-ip-americas-awards-2018-winners-revealed
• Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY), Best Autobiography/Memoir — for Slanted: https://independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=2439
• Spirit of America Award, Chinese American Citizens Alliance: https://www.cacanational.org/programs/spirit-of-america-award
• Ovation Lifetime Achievement Award: https://www.einpresswire.com/sources/u262883
• Additional secondary coverage mentioning multiple awards: Legal Talk Network (https://legaltalknetwork.com/guests/simon-tam/) and Stage & Studio (https://stagenstudio.com/2025/01/simon-tam-the-slants-worth-the-fight/)

Happy to provide any additional sourcing or clarification that would help. Thank you again for taking the time on this.

SimonTheTam (talk) 14:26, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

Request to restore "author" to the lead sentence (COI disclosure)

I am Simon Tam, the subject of this article, and I have a conflict of interest — so I am requesting this change here rather than editing the article directly. The lead sentence currently describes me as "an American musician and activist." However, the article's own Bibliography section documents multiple published works, including the memoir Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court (2019), which won the Independent Publisher Book Award for Best Autobiography/Memoir; a law review article in the Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal (2018); and a chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Music Law and Policy (Oxford University Press, 2021). The infobox also lists "author" under Occupations. Given that authorship is documented and sourced within the article itself, the lead currently appears internally inconsistent. I'd like to request that "author" be restored to the lead sentence — for example, "is an American author, musician, and activist" — to align the lead with the sourced body of the article. I'm happy to provide any additional sourcing if helpful. Thank you for considering this. SimonTheTam (talk) 10:47, 3 July 2026 (UTC)

 Done 🌊PacificDepths (talk | contrib) 00:58, 4 July 2026 (UTC)