He is best known as the bassist and founder of the Asian American dance-rock band, the Slants, who won their case against the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office at the United States Supreme Court.
[15][16] He also finished his college education and graduated with a Master in Business Administration from Marylhurst University in 2013, receiving the Distinguished Alum Award,[17] and began publishing his writing.
[22] That same year, Tam and Jiang composed scores for television shows streaming on the Peacock Network, including Comedy InvAsian 2.0,[23] and the film Namba: A Japanese American's Incarceration and Life of Resistance.
[29] This eventually became an extensive legal battle when the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled that the band's name was disparaging to persons of Asian descent.
Initially, Tam provided extensive evidence to appeal the USPTO decision, including testimonies from leading dictionary experts, national surveys, and letters from Asian American community leaders, but the Trademark Office remained steadfast in their refusal.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit initially ruled against him but issued a Motion to vacate Sua sponte (on its own accord).
In 2019, he joined prominent hip-hop artists Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper, Meek Mill, and 21 Savage in filing an amicus brief in Jamal Knox v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[42] In late 2011, Tam began writing on racism and the Asian American experience for sites like CHANGELAB's Race Files and YOMYOMF.
[1] Shortly after, he published numerous op-ed pieces on his trademark case, Matal v. Tam, for newspapers such as the New York Times and The Oregonian.
The memoir covers multiple aspects of his life as an artist-activist, including growing up as a child of immigrant restaurant owners, falling in love with punk rock, and the journey to the U.S Supreme Court.
[48] As a speaker, Tam often delivers keynotes and workshops for Fortune 500 companies as well as higher education organizations, with a focus on entrepreneurship, marketing, technology, and diversity and inclusion.
In 2016, Tam joined President Barack Obama, George Takei, Jeremy Lin, and other celebrities in the #ActToChange campaign to fight bullying.
In 2018, he co-founded The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships and mentoring Asian American artists looking to incorporate community activism into their craft.