SOULAAN Trademark Enforced — Article Removed

The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust (FRFT) confirms the successful enforcement of the SOULAAN trademark following the removal of an article published by Ebony.

FRFT initially issued a formal correction notice addressing the unauthorized use, misclassification, and improper Pan-African framing of the SOULAAN designation (USPTO Serial No. 98720373), owned by Dwayne Coleman. The publication was given an opportunity to review and correct the language.

No response was received.

Following this non-response, FRFT escalated the matter through infrastructure-level enforcement, including formal notices to network and hosting providers. As a result of that enforcement process, the article is no longer publicly accessible.

This action reflects a clear standard:

When protected designations are used incorrectly, correction is requested.

When correction is ignored, enforcement follows.

The SOULAAN trademark is not a general cultural or racial label. It is a protected designation governed by a defined framework. Its use in media or commerce must be accurate and authorized.

FRFT will continue to monitor public use of the SOULAAN designation and take appropriate action where misuse, misclassification, or unauthorized representation occurs.