Washington Redskins trademark cancelled

[Jroc]

Great news!!!

I agree. It used to be that only the professional football team in DC could use that name.

Now everybody can use it, the professional football team included!

We Are Very Proud To Be Called Redskins

We are very proud of our athletic teams and very proud to be called Redskins!"

These are the words of Coshocton High School athletic director George Hemming, who serves as the athletic director for just one of the 70 different High Schools in 25 states are known as the Redskins.

Redskins.com found that there are almost as many schools using the name Redskins as Cowboys, as only 75 schools use the name Cowboys, and interestingly just 19 use the name Giants.

Coshocton High School is located in east central Ohio which has a rich Native American history. Hemming said "the name represents to us competition and pride."

In eastern Ohio, the name Redskins was adopted by Indian Creek High School in 1993

'We Are Very Proud To Be Called Redskins'

 

[martybegan]

As a person of Irish descent I am offended by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish mascot. change it.

As a northeasterner I am offended by the Yankee's team name, change it.

I'm also terrified by all sorts of animals, so bobcats, badgers, bears, bulls, all those gotta go.

 

[Truthseeker420]

Can you imagine an imbecile saying "Great News" that the government can take away one's private property at a whim?


If this passes Supreme Court scrutiny, who is the government different form any other totalitarian one?

The Government giveth and the government taketh away. Like the totalitarian right wing cares about private property.

 

[KNB]

Maybe they should change their name to the Washington Rednecks and see if they catch any slack.

 

[chikenwing]

Sad this country is headed in all the wrong directions.

 

[PredFan]

I saw this and immediately purchased 2 Washington Redskins T shirts from the official NFL site. I will wear them until the fall apart. If the Redskins end up changing their name, I will never ever watch another football game but I will still wear my Redskins shirt.

 

[Leweman]

There wasn't enough public outcry so the government had to step in and do what is "right"

 

[Truthseeker420]

I saw this and immediately purchased 2 Washington Redskins T shirts from the official NFL site. I will wear them until the fall apart. If the Redskins end up changing their name, I will never ever watch another football game but I will still wear my Redskins shirt.

I selling some Redskins T-shirts real cheap !

 

[Bush92]

Great news!!!

Must be a Cowboys fan. well actually this is shitty news. PC run amok...AGAIN! If I owned the team I would re-name them the "Shit in the Woods Savages" and see how Obama liked that. Also i would encourage ticket "scalping" at the games.

 

[Katzndogz]

They appealed the same ruling ten years ago and won. This one is being appealed too.

If the Redskins have to go it should be the whole team not just the name. I hope the owner has enough integrity to do it. Release the players whose contracts are up for renewal and pay off the rest. Keep the Redskins to the end and give it an end.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

This is Obama, and his little minority of pussies that have caused this ruling.

 

[Meister]

Redskins....done deal.

Next on Obama's "hitlist" is the Los Angeles "Angels".

 

[Misty]

A news release from a few months ago:

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Washington Redskins football team is changing its name.

Due to all the negativity, shame, humiliation, dissent, polarity, adversity, defiance, hatred, animosity, contempt, discrimination, division, violence, counter-productivity, ill-spirit, un-Godliness, and hostility associated with their name, they have decided to disassociate themselves from such an ill-conceived and controversial group.

From now on they will be known simply as the Redskins!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Lol good one.

 

[bendog]

It's not about PC.

At their essence these arguments amount to a fear that political correctness will go too far. But I am not a member of the political correctness brigade. I am a professor trademark law. And trademark law has established rules to address this issue.

Since 1905 federal trademark law has banned the registration of scandalous or immoral marks. In 1947, marks that may disparage, bring into contempt or disrepute persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols were also banned. U.S. trademark law is not unique in prohibiting the registration of offensive trademarks. Many other countries’ trademark laws contain similar provisions.

A trademark case is currently pending over the Washington football team name. A group of seven Native Americans first challenged the trademark in 1992. The plaintiffs presented the trademark office tribunal with evidence of dictionary definitions, linguists’ expert opinions, and the results of a survey all showing the trademark to be disparaging of Native Americans. In 1999, the tribunal agreed that the registrations should be cancelled.

But on appeal, a federal court found that the Native Americans failed to present sufficient evidence that a substantial composite of Native Americans regard the term Redskins as disparaging when used as a trademark by the football team because the survey asked about the term in the abstract.

The court also found that the Native American plaintiffs had unjustifiably delayed in bringing the action since the trademark had already been registered 25 years by the time of the lawsuit (the trademarks in question were registered between 1967 and 1990).

After that loss, a new group of younger Native Americans brought a second challenge. Since one cannot be held to have delayed in bringing a legal claim before the age of 18, this group of young adults appear to have overcome any criticism of delay in the new lawsuit by bringing their claims as soon as they could. We await a new ruling, which should be announced imminently.
Racial slurs and football team names: What does trademark law say?

The team can still be the Redskins. But there may be financial repercussions because the team may not be able to use federal law to keep other people from using a racial slur for profit as well.

 

[Bush92]

Oh boy the Swedes and Norwegians are getting pretty pissed over the Vikings. Better scrap that one. The Cowboys implies a white male stereotype...fuck that one away too. What about the Chiefs? Look out liberals have gone nuts again.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

It's not about PC.

At their essence these arguments amount to a fear that political correctness will go too far. But I am not a member of the political correctness brigade. I am a professor trademark law. And trademark law has established rules to address this issue.

Since 1905 federal trademark law has banned the registration of scandalous or immoral marks. In 1947, marks that may disparage, bring into contempt or disrepute persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols were also banned. U.S. trademark law is not unique in prohibiting the registration of offensive trademarks. Many other countries’ trademark laws contain similar provisions.

A trademark case is currently pending over the Washington football team name. A group of seven Native Americans first challenged the trademark in 1992. The plaintiffs presented the trademark office tribunal with evidence of dictionary definitions, linguists’ expert opinions, and the results of a survey all showing the trademark to be disparaging of Native Americans. In 1999, the tribunal agreed that the registrations should be cancelled.

But on appeal, a federal court found that the Native Americans failed to present sufficient evidence that a substantial composite of Native Americans regard the term Redskins as disparaging when used as a trademark by the football team because the survey asked about the term in the abstract.

The court also found that the Native American plaintiffs had unjustifiably delayed in bringing the action since the trademark had already been registered 25 years by the time of the lawsuit (the trademarks in question were registered between 1967 and 1990).

After that loss, a new group of younger Native Americans brought a second challenge. Since one cannot be held to have delayed in bringing a legal claim before the age of 18, this group of young adults appear to have overcome any criticism of delay in the new lawsuit by bringing their claims as soon as they could. We await a new ruling, which should be announced imminently.
Racial slurs and football team names: What does trademark law say?

The team can still be the Redskins. But there may be financial repercussions because the team may not be able to use federal law to keep other people from using a racial slur for profit as well.

I would expect the US patent office to lose once again since these are subjective criticisms of the actual logo. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Coyote]

Moderator note - two identical threads merged.

 

[The Rabbi]

What do you want to bet the album called "Niggaz4life" is copywrited?

The Patent Office grossly overstepped their bounds. The Redskins should sue, and they will win.
Watch: WWII Navajo Code Talkers in Redskins jackets embrace team name - BizPac Review

 

[martybegan]

Can you imagine an imbecile saying "Great News" that the government can take away one's private property at a whim?


If this passes Supreme Court scrutiny, who is the government different form any other totalitarian one?

The Government giveth and the government taketh away. Like the totalitarian right wing cares about private property.

THIS is how you can tell a statist. To them all power flows from the government, and is handed out to the people in parcels. True followers of the Constitution believe the exact opposite, that power is held by the people, and is given to the government in controlled amounts.

 

[Pennywise]

http://www.usmessageboard.com/usmb-badlands/360189-the-washington-*******.html