Black activists trademark 'White Lives Matter' to stop Kanye West from profiting off it

Two black radio hosts have trademarked ‘White Lives Matter’ in a bid to stop Kanye West from profiting off it.

In the wake of the backlash, West took to Instagram to say: "Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam. Now it's over. You're welcome."

Now Phoenix-based activists Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, who host radio show Civic Chapter, have revealed they've trademarked the controversial phrase.

“If you want to sell that shirt, you have to come knock on my door, or you have to face Morris, my lawyer.”

Indeed, federal records confirm that Civic Chapter LLC is now the owner of the ‘White Lives Matter’ trademark after it was first registered on 3 October.

Ja said: “This person who first procured it didn't really love owning it, because the purpose was not necessarily to get rich off of it; the purpose was to make sure that other people didn't get rich off of that pain.”

The duo said any money made from the use of the trademarked phrase went to benefit black and brown communities.

“We know that phrases like 'White Lives Matter,' 'All Lives Matter,' and 'Blue Lives Matter' continue to cause harm and to dilute the narrative that was intended to be established by Black Lives Matter," Ja continued.

“Those phrases are all piggybacking off of black people's creativity and efforts, so we're all for helping to use this as a measure to allow black people to retain a little bit of ownership."