NFL Team Can Keep 'Redskins' Trademark

Yahoo! News (AP) ^ | 10/1/2003 | Sam Hananel

[Pyro7480]

NFL Team Can Keep 'Redskins' Trademark

By SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A federal judge has overturned a ruling revoking the Washington Redskins trademark, finding there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the name is disparaging to American Indians.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the ruling in connection with a 1999 decision by a panel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But she also made clear that her ruling does not address the issue of whether the name "Redskins" actually is offensive to Indians.

Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson said the team hadn't reviewed the entire ruling but "from what we've been told by our attorneys, we are pleased."

If the team lost, it could have been stripped of the exclusive rights to market the Redskins name.

The lawsuit began in 1992 when seven American Indians, led by Suzan Shown Harjo, asked the trademark office to cancel six trademarks containing the word "Redskin." In 1999, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board granted a petition to cancel the team's trademark registrations because of a federal law, the Lanham Act, prohibiting registering "disparaging" names.

In her 84-page decision, issued late Tuesday, Kollar-Kotelly also found that the plaintiffs waited too long to make their claims under the law, which was in effect when the Redskins trademarks were registered in 1967.

[JDGreen123]

Good point. I suspect that Raiders, Pirates, Bucs, etc are in danger. They were the terrorists of yesteryear.

A fun game is to find a reason that someone might object to an team name. No animals (Bears, Lions, Tigers, Cubs, Panthers, etc) since this is exploiting innocent animals for human pleasure. No Steelers (polution). No Cowboys, Rangers, etc. (They were evil white men who conquered native peoples). No Patriots or Minutemen (leads to American nationalism which hurts our global village). No military names like Commandos, Trojans, Bombers (leads to violence).

[MacDorcha]

they already have the "fighting irish", pretty close if you ask me.

the point is that this lawsuit was only used to get money, and not for any actual moral reason. such is the case for many likewise cases in the courts.

[MacDorcha]

and by the way, "indian" is supposedly a slur to sensitive types, but is still not only in common use, but accepted by the native american community to refer to them as a group. redskin is no more a slur than indian.

[berserker]

Link to court opinion [pdf file, 84 pages].

[Kleon]

"and by the way, "indian" is supposedly a slur to sensitive types, but is still not only in common use, but accepted by the native american community to refer to them as a group. redskin is no more a slur than indian."

It makes my head spin keeping track of what is accepted. A professor once told me that academic circles prefer "American Indian" over "Native American," because "native" has negative conotations.

I still can't see why redskin is not worse than indian. Can you imagine a news story that refered to "redskin gaming"?

[craig_eddy]

Whew...I was sure they'd go after Redskin Peanuts next.

[far sider]

Actually, I have always believed that the name was disparaging as well as the Canucks.

This is a comic book that was published by Canadians and sold in the US when I was a kid. I bought a few issues of it but it wasn't that great. How is "Canuck" disparaging?

[markman46]

yes they were back in the 30's

[NC Conservative]

when will we address redskin peanuts or redskin potatoes

[mil-vet]

No offense meant, but I didn't miss your point; I just keyed on the PC angle because I don't agree with with your personal dislike (which you are TOTALLY entitled to, which is why I didn't want to say anything which could be interpretted as me trying to be contentious with you - LOL!).

I believe that ALL people who THINK are in agreement that the PC thing is way over the edge, and with the liberal socialist press running the story, PC is what it's all about rather than any true substance!

Oh, well....

[Chad Fairbanks]

I understand. We are all free to dislike what we want - the difference between liberals and conservatives (among many) is that I, as a conservative, dont feel the need to force others to think as I do ;0)

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Even the Irish have not objected to "Fighting Irish."

Change it to the "Drunken Irish" and watch the fireworks. ;^)

[mil-vet]

Exactly! Thanks for understanding! No matter what, your remarks were good as a stimulus to let me "rant" against PC!

Sort of on the same principle, i.e. forcing someone to think along same lines, I have irritated SO many liberals after they have told me (no kidding!) how open-minded and tolerant they were "because they were liberal" - I simply asked them why they then called me names (you know the ones - "mean-spirited" and the rest of the list) when I didn't agree with them. It's so much fun to watch them go apoplectic in response - LOL!!

Perhaps this comes under sadistic conservative entertainment?

[markman46]

the eskimos palyed in 1926-28 not the 30's were disbaneded and later became the boston braves then the skins

[Osage Orange]

You wrote:

""Redskin" is racist in any context. "

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

That might be your opinion....But, I happen to be of "redskin" blood...and I don't find it one little bit racist.

Fwiw...there's way too many "Thinskins" among my fellow "redskins"...

Fwiw-

[Osage Orange]

You wrote:

"Just barely."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

ROFLOL!!!

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

General observation (a little off-topic, but related):

In the past few weeks, I have seen people here express the opinion that American Indians shouldn't have the right to vote - which I personally found breathtakingly offensive. I've seen people who were under the erroneous impression that they aren't really U.S. citizens and that they don't pay taxes. I've seen several mocking references to "wampum", "injuns" and "chief", and one person went so far as to compare American Indians to the Palestinians, saying that in the future, we can expect to have to deal with the kind of problems Israel has.

Clearly, racial stereotypes and prejudice are alive and well where American Indians are concerned.

In the past, I've seen emphasis placed on problems of alcoholism and poverty among Indians, but very little about their rich contribution to our country. (Over the course of history, a high percentage of American Indians have served in the military. The Navajo Code Talkers, who were instrumental in our success in the Pacific Theater during WWII, are one positive example. We wouldn't have taken Iwo Jima without them, according to some - and they stood ready to serve this nation after 9/11, though most of them must be close to 80 years-old by now.)

My point - I don't like the excessive PC movement (what is currently happening to Rush is a good example of that), and I strongly object to people being forced to behave a certain way, or having to refrain from saying what's on their mind, but I have a question (and it is a sincere one - I really want to know the answer):

Most people here would not make mocking reference to black Americans (publicly, at least). Why do people who would never dream of making unflattering stereotypical references to black Americans seem to feel American Indians are somehow fair game?

[j_tull]

Don't forget the Seattle No-such-critter-as-a-Seahawks

[JAWs]

Weren't they the Duluth Eskimos at one time?

Actually they were orgininaglly the Boston Braves, but hanged to Redskins after moving from Braves' Field to Fenway. Then they moved to Washington.

And of course the Boston Braves baseball team moved to Milwaukee, then Atlanta, whose AAA team was... The Atlanta Crackers!

[Babalu]

Or the Washington Liberals!