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.

[Pyro7480]

A little sanity returns to the courts!

[Lunatic Fringe]

Interesting. I still believe it is a disparaging mascot, but the courts have spoken. back to work....

[akorahil]

Weren't they the Duluth Eskimos at one time?

[rs79bm]

I understand the argument, but it's not meant to demoralize people. It's actually meant to praise them.

[ConservativeMan55]

I believe Redskins were the ones that helped name them "Redskins" in the first place!

[ConservativeMan55]

Somebody send this to Rush!

[My2Cents]

At least they don't call themselves the "Washington Savages," or the "Washington Firewater Drinkers."

[MacDorcha]

yay! thank God for that too, otherwse the Fighting Irish would be sued by Irish people, and the Falcons would be sued by birdwatchers!

[HEY4QDEMS]

Actually, I have always believed that the name was disparaging as well as the Canucks.
When the Redskins were formed in Boston, there were similar sentiments conveyed when they chose that as their name.

[jgrubbs]

Washington Redksins BUMP!!

[Kleon]

This has much more to do with economic and political clout than it does with justice. "Redskin" is racist in any context.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Well, while I personally find the term "redskin" as offensive as if someone called blacks "BlackSkins", or asians "YellowSkins", I never could see the point of making a federal case out of it...

[MacDorcha]

so is "cracker" and "nigger" but many minorities excercise those words with impunity.

[Kleon]

And if they created a professional team named after one of those slurs, I would expect the court to thry and block them.

[ko_kyi]

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
found the litigant's case to be smelly
so Washington wins
sing "Hail to the Redskins"
And go put some beer in your belly

[TheBigB]

Spurrier sucks. :)P

[Mr. Mojo]

I'd imagine that the court's ruling would've been different if the team in question were named the "Yellowskins" or the "Blackskins."

[Semper Paratus]

It would have been a pity if we lost the Redskins fight song.
"Hail to the Chestnut Shirts" would not have worked.

[jgrubbs]

A group of Native American and non-Indian students of the University of Northern Colorado came up with the "Fighting Whites" to deliver a simple, sincere, message about ethnic stereotyping. I'm white, and I don't find it offensive.

[GunnyHartman]

These are the two most popular jackets worn by Indians on the Flathead Indian Reservation where I am employed.

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