Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, hosts of the weekly racial justice radio show Civic Cipher, became the legal owners of the phrase’s trademark for its use on clothing late last month.Taking ownership of the trademark for the phrase, “White Lives Matter,” was a difficult decision for the hosts, they said, but they agreed to do it “once it was clear that someone stood to gain significant profit from it, because as you’ve seen, even though he (West) says some really hurtful, divisive and sometimes crazy things, he has a bit of a zealot following and every time he releases something, it sells out,” Ward told CNN.They didn’t want anyone to potentially profit off the term that the Anti-Defamation League has categorized as a “hate slogan.” The phrase is used by White supremacist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, and described as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement.The trademark was first filed last month, data from the US Patent and Trademark Office shows, on the same day that West wore a shirt with an image of Pope John Paul II on the front and the words “White Lives Matter” written on the back.When the listener found out the rapper-producer “repopularized” the term, “I think that maneuver was primarily to ensure that other people would not profit from it.”Ja and Ward don’t know why the listener initially bought the rights to the phrase but they speculate that when the term went viral again, the listener “no longer felt that they were the right person to champion those efforts.”Over the years, West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, has made multiple inflammatory statements that have angered many in the Black community, including his insistence that slavery was a “choice” and “racism is a dated concept.” And his recent antisemitic remarks caused companies that he was affiliated with to end their relationships with him, bringing to an end his tenure on Forbes Billionaires List."