While the matter of license plates should be pretty simple, many have gotten in trouble over the years if the essential car item is deemed inappropriate.
This has led to some plates being forcefully removed by officials and the owners of the cars looking a bit silly in the process.
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Back in July, Adam Steelmon’s license plate was recalled by the state DMV after receiving a complaint as he went about his business in Nevada.
In fact, in an interview with Live 5 News, Steelmon said he had been using the license plate for two decades without anyone making a complaint.
However, this summer, one particular party was far from impressed with the plate that read 'GOBK2CA' - known in normal English as 'go back to California'.
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In fact, the DMV in Nevada has said it only takes one complaint for a license plate to be reviewed by its special license committee.
"All it takes is for one person to issue or file a complaint. If it goes against the statute, we have a duty to execute on that and recall it,” said Eli Rohl, public information officer for the Nevada DMV
Rather impressed with his number plate, Steelmon posted a picture of it to Facebook, where it quickly went viral with 80,000 likes on the social media platform.
Just a week later, DMV officials reached out to say they were revoking the plate, according to Steelmon.
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"I get a letter from the DMV saying, ‘We don’t feel we like your license plates,’ and here’s a letter saying we’re recalling them,” he told KOLO-8.
At the time, the plate was thought to have gone against a state law that prohibits making defamatory comments to a person or group.
Rohl said: "In this case, the defamed group is Californians. If we’ve been rejecting applications for other ‘back to California’ plates, then it’s not an equal application of the law to receive a complaint about this plate and neglect to take action on it."
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The law states that all license plates in Nevada must not have upside-down numbers, more than seven numbers, phrases of contempt, ridicule or superiority of race, ethnic heritage or gender, phrases sexual in nature, derogatory or obscene, and any reference to drugs, paraphernalia or gangs.
After an appeal against the special committee's decision, a judge ruled Steelmon can keep the plate.
Callum Jones