The Washington Redskins will be bound to eliminate six trademarks, as an appeal by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which is now seconded by a federal judge. A triumph for the Native Americans; who have been requesting the football team for decades to change their name.
This will be trouble for the N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell, as he has been supporting the team and has stood by the owner Dan Snyder’s decision to oppose calls to change the name and logo. Alongside, it will make things difficult for the team who has determinedly claimed that the name has no racist implications as suggested by some Native American groups.
Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the United States District Court in Northern Virginia agrees with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s decision to cancel six of the team’s trademark registrations that contain the word redskin, in his 70-page ruling. The board, which ruled on decisions made by the Patent and Trademark Office, agreed that the word may be mocking the Native Americans.
In August, the team went to federal court to try to overturn the decision. The team’s President, Bruce Allen, informed that they are hoping to win an appeal after a fair and impartial review of the case, as they plan to appeal Judge Lee’s ruling. The team is confident that they will win as they believe the facts and the law are on the side of their franchise that has used the name Redskins for more than 80 years.
Even with the cancelled trademarks, according to common law rights, the team is legally free to continue to use its name and logos; and in the short run, this decision is unlikely to have a substantive effect on the team, which has used the name since the 1930s. Judge Lee includes, this decision does not prevent the sports fans from collecting, wearing, or displaying the Redskins Marks.
Certain protections will no longer be applicable to the team such as; federal customs officials being obligated to confiscate Redskins merchandise that entered the country. Many senators, and some members of the House of Representative,s have sent letters to the judge requesting him to reconsider the decision. Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, applauded the stance, being one of the harshest critics of the team’s name. She stated that N.F.L. should not allow this name to be used any longer, effective immediate. The owner of the team, Synder, believes the name to be an implication of tradition and bravery.
