Washington Redskins Trademarks Canceled

On Wednesday, June 18, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board canceled the “Redskins” mark in a 2-1 decision stating that it is “disparaging to Native Americans.” A similar case was filed in 1992 and was overturned by a federal district court due to lack of standing. A lawyer representing the team stated that a similar appeal is likely to follow the current decision. The USPTO has refused to register about a dozen mark containing the recitation “Redskins” since 1992 stating that it is a “derogatory slang term.” Regardless of the outcome, the team will retain its common law rights to the mark and therefore it is not expected that this ruling will have an immediate impact on the team.