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In what some see as the first step to forcing the Washington Redskins football team to change their name, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday cancelled six federal trademarks of the team name because it's “disparaging” to Native Americans. “Petitioners have shown by a preponderance of the evidence that a substantial composite of Native Americans found the term REDSKINS to be disparaging,” said the decision. Fans, however, won’t see any immediate change — even if Daniel Snyder’s team eventually loses in court. That’s because all the order will do is eliminate the trademark the team has on merchandise....

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Redskins' trademarks. The petitioners, consisting of five Native Americans, sought to cancel the trademarks based on a section of the Trademark Act that "prohibits registration of marks that may disparage persons or bring them into contempt or disrepute."

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Patent Office ruled Wednesday that the Washington Redskins nickname is "disparaging of Native Americans" and that the team's federal trademarks for the name must be canceled. The 2-1 ruling comes after a campaign to change the name gained momentum over the past year. The team doesn't immediately lose trademark protection and is allowed to retain it during an appeal, which is likely. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has refused to change the team's name, citing tradition, but there has been growing pressure including statements in recent months from President Barack Obama, lawmakers of both parties and...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Patent Office ruled Wednesday that the Washington Redskins nickname is "disparaging of Native Americans" and that the team's federal trademarks for the name must be canceled. The 2-1 ruling comes after a campaign to change the name has gained momentum over the past year. The team doesn't immediately lose trademark protection and is allowed to retain it during an appeal.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Washington Redskins trademark registration, calling the football team’s name “disparaging to Native Americans.” The landmark case, which appeared before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, was filed on behalf of five Native Americans. It was the second time such a case was filed.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Washington Redskins trademark registration, calling the football team’s name “disparaging to Native Americans.” The landmark case, which appeared before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, was filed on behalf of five Native Americans. It was the second time such a case was filed. “This victory was a long time coming and reflects the hard work of many attorneys at our firm,” said lead attorney Jesse Witten, of Drinker Biddle & Reath.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Washington Redskins trademark registration, calling the football team’s name “disparaging to Native Americans.” The landmark case, which appeared before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, was filed on behalf of five Native Americans. It was the second time such a case was filed.

At the annual meeting of The Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ on Saturday, June 14, a resolution was passed to pressure the National Football League and the Washington Redskins to change the team’s name and refrain from using any images, mascots, or behaviors that are demeaning to Native American cultures or peoples, according to a report in Indian Country Today. This resolution calls for members to do more than just speak out against the use of the name Redskins. It calls for a complete boycott the football team.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he won't attend a Washington Redskins home game until the football team changes its controversial name. In a letter late last week to the team's president, Reid called the Redskins name a racial slur that disparages the American people. The Nevada Democrat, who said he represents 27 tribes in his state, rejected Bruce Allen's invitation to a Redskins home game until the team does "the right thing" and changes its name.

Native Americans are sending a loud message to the Washington Redskins. A northern California tribe paid for a commercial to air in seven major U.S. cities during halftime of Tuesday's NBA Finals game, their latest plea for the NFL team to change its “racist” name and mascot.

The owners of the Washington Redskins, NFL and Senator Elizabeth (Herring) Warren have come to a compromise in renaming the team. The new team name, effective this fall, will be: Washington Red Herrings. Senator Warren, a princess in the Red Herring tribe of Massachusetts, suggested the Red Herring name instead of the racist Redskins moniker. Senator Warren stated that the Red Herring tribe had a proud heritage going all the way back to the original settlement of the country. Chief Herring Bone and his band were present and participated in the first Thanksgiving festivities. The tribe invented salted pumpkin seeds...

There is a groundswell of pressure to change the Washington Redskins' team name, which some argue is offensive, a movement that gained some steam with a letter signed by 50 U.S. senators calling for action. The letter referred to the Redskins' name as being an example of "racism" and "bigotry" and managed to make a connection to the NBA fiasco with outgoing Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. This prompted a reaction from the Redskins. Team president Bruce Allen countered swiftly with a response to Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid in a letter of his own. The theme of Allen's...

D.C. rapper WaleWale told his 3.6 million Twitter followers Friday that Sen. Harry Reid’s recent comments on the Washington Redskins‘ name was just his way of bringing attention to himself. Wale, whose real name is Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, said that Mr. Reid was “sketchy” since he once made comments about then-Sen. Barack Obama’s lack of “negro dialect” in the run-up to the 2008 election. “Anybody been followin the Senator Reid Stuff?” the musician tweeted. “Senator Reid got a lot to say about other ppl bein racist . But I did a lil research . He sketchy. … Basically he [trying...

The Washington Redskins took on Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Friday, telling Majority Leader Harry Reid that his efforts to orchestrate a campaign to force a team name change were misguided and failed to recognize the name’s “deep and personal meaning.” “I hope you will attend one of our home games, where you would witness first-hand that the Washington Redskins are a positive, unifying force for our community in a city and region that is divided on so many levels,” team President Bruce Allen wrote Mr. Reid. The letter offered several rebuttals to arguments that Mr. Reid and other...

Of course he would. Among the public, this is a non-issue: Despite endless lefty blather about the name over the past year, including from The One himself, 79 percent side with the ‘Skins. (That’s especially dangerous to pols elected by the Redskins’ core fan base, which is why Virginia senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner refused to sign the letter.) Among the political class, though, it’s a proxy for ideology, an easy check-the-box way to polish your particular brand. That’s how this issue was able to accelerate from slow-news-day fodder on Slate last August to a cause celebre among...

In a longtime battle, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has sent a letter to President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, asking McDonough to get Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to stop blocking legislation that would authorize 27 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), including clinics in Lafayette and Lake Charles La. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Louisiana Senate aisle, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has signed off on a letter led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell demanding that the Washington Redskins change their name, calling the teams’ name...

Letters signed by 50 U.S. senators urging the league to change the Washington Redskins name were sent on Thursday to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The senators draw a parallel between the NBA's no-tolerance policy regarding the racist comments made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and asks the NFL to act similarly. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has been steadfast in his stance that he will not change his team's nickname. "Today, we urge you and the National Football League to send the same clear message as the NBA did: that racism and bigotry have no place in professional sports,"...

Actor Terry Crews used a very loaded word to describe his former employer, the NFL. “There is this thing where the team kind of looks at [itself] as your father,” Crews said in an interview with Sports Illustated Now. “And it’s kind of weird, because it’s like ‘You’d do this for the team, right?’

May 22, 2014, 09:39 am 50 senators call for Redskins name change By Mario Trujillo Fifty Democratic senators are pushing the NFL to change the name of the Washington Redskins. In a letter sent Thursday to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday, the group urged him to follow the lead of the NBA in punishing Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for making racially insensitive remarks. "The despicable comments made by Mr. Sterling have opened up a national conversation about race relations," said the letter spearheaded by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). "We believe...

Who is Alex Trebek? That's right: The popular TV host doesn't think the Washington football team should change its name, as he told The New Republic as part of a longer profile. During football season, he follows the [WFT], whom he doesn’t think should change their name. “They weren’t called the [WFT] because we thought [WFT] were terrible; it’s because we admire their strength, their abilities,” he says. In his dressing room one day, Trebek had on Fox News in the background. “Somebody was saying on television a few days ago that the Tea Party is a reflection of the...