Redskins Trademark Cancelled

[DeepGreen]

Political correctness gone wild. I didn't know Obama could just cancel a trademark registration with a cell phone and the stroke of a pen.

http://news.yahoo.com/trademark-board-rules-against-redskins-142056503.html?clear-cache

[emmitt01]

  On 6/18/2014 at 3:27 PM, DeepGreen said:

Political correctness gone wild. I didn't know Obama could just cancel a trademark registration with a cell phone and the stroke of a pen.

http://news.yahoo.com/trademark-board-rules-against-redskins-142056503.html?clear-cache

I'll admit that I'm a speed reader but I missed the part where the President made a phone call and had the patent cancelled.

[DeepGreen]

  On 6/18/2014 at 3:39 PM, emmitt01 said:

I'll admit that I'm a speed reader but I missed the part where the President made a phone call and had the patent cancelled.

[Censored by Laurie]

talk about being Indian givers...

[Mean Green 93-98]

Did Harry Reid find the Redskins name offensive before it became popular to find it offensive?

[Coffee and TV]

I always thought it was a stupid name, regardless of whatever politicians have to say about it.

[Cerebus]

This is a patent office decision, same thing that happened in 1999. Article clearly states that. The Patent Office has that power.

I always though it was a offensive name, and wondered why no one made a big deal out of it:

ETA: The opinion.

ETA2:

  Quote

Petitioners, five Native Americans, have brought this cancellation proceeding pursuant to Section 14 of the Trademark Act of 1946, 15 U.S.C. § 1064©. They seek to cancel respondent’s registrations issued between 1967 and 1990 for trademarks consisting in whole or in part of the term REDSKINS for professional football-related services on the ground that the registrations were obtained contrary to Section 2(a), 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a), which prohibits registration of marks that may disparage persons or bring them into contempt or disrepute.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Cerebus

[TheTastyGreek]

Talk sports or law, or we are off to the cage.

[Cerebus]

  On 6/18/2014 at 4:36 PM, TheTastyGreek said:

Talk sports or law, or we are off to the cage.

"I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"

[Greenrex]

Without regard to the Patent Office, Washington can continue to use whatever name they choose or to make any other decisions no matter how stupid those decisions may or may not be.

[UNT90]

  On 6/18/2014 at 4:36 PM, TheTastyGreek said:

Talk sports or law, or we are off to the cage.

Mad with power, I tell you.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the patent cancellation now mean that anyone can print "Redskins" and sell it on anything they want? So won't this actually increase the amount of "Redskins" labeled paraphernalia for sale in the market?

And won't this make it the "cool" thing to wear among Washington fans and other segments of society?

Or are trademark still in effect preventing this from occurring?

Hopefully I get an answer before The Man locks this crap down.

Edited June 18, 2014 by UNT90

[Green P1]

But it is pretty offensive... Right?

Edited June 18, 2014 by Green P1

[TheTastyGreek]

  On 6/18/2014 at 5:34 PM, UNT90 said:

Mad with power, I tell you.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the patent cancellation now mean that anyone can print "Redskins" and sell it on anything they want? So won't this actually increase the amount of "Redskins" labeled paraphernalia for sale in the market?

And won't this make it the "cool" thing to wear among Washington fans and other segments of society?

Or are trademark still in effect preventing this from occurring?

Hopefully I get an answer before The Man locks this crap down.

Not mad with power... Angry and empowered.

As far as lack of trademark protection leading to a proliferation of unlicensed apparel...

I brush with it morning and night, and all my cool subversive pals and I really feel like we're sticking it to Colgate. It's everywhere, and absolutely nobody thinks I'm a scumbag when I buy or use it in public.

[Cerebus]

1999 case was thrown out due to the Doctrine of Laches*. In effect, the original petitioners had lived with the original name for too long (they were in their 60s) and the judge considered the action "unreasonably delayed."

The new plaintiffs are young, just having reached legal age when they filed the suit, so this seem to take care of that. NFL won't be able to argue this point.

*French legal term that found it's way into English Common Law. Lay-chəz meaning "remissness" or "slackness."

[Cerebus]

  On 6/18/2014 at 5:34 PM, UNT90 said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the patent cancellation now mean that anyone can print "Redskins" and sell it on anything they want? So won't this actually increase the amount of "Redskins" labeled paraphernalia for sale in the market?

And I am sure Dan Snyder, or hell Jerry Jones is going to be fine with not getting any of this money. This is a huge incentive for Dan Snyder to change the name to something that can be copyrighted, so he can make those stacks.

  On 6/18/2014 at 5:34 PM, UNT90 said:

And won't this make it the "cool" thing to wear among Washington fans and other segments of society?

Washington fans are barely even people, why should we care what they think? Just kidding, no Washington hate here. I grew up an Oilers fan and the entire NFL is dead to me. Do you hear me? DEEEEAAAADDDD!

  On 6/18/2014 at 5:34 PM, UNT90 said:

Or are trademark still in effect preventing this from occurring?

Snyder will almost assuredly appeal this. The copyright will be in effect until the appeal is decided.

[Army of Dad]

  On 6/18/2014 at 6:26 PM, Cerebus said:

And I am sure Dan Snyder, or hell Jerry Jones is going to be fine with not getting any of this money. This is a huge incentive for Dan Snyder to change the name to something that can be copyrighted, so he can make those stacks.

Washington fans are barely even people, why should we care what they think? Just kidding, no Washington hate here. I grew up an Oilers fan and the entire NFL is dead to me. Do you hear me? DEEEEAAAADDDD!

Snyder will almost assuredly appeal this. The copyright will be in effect until the appeal is decided.

How does this work in conjunction with NFL trademarks? Could the Redskins still be protected by a blanket NFL trademark(a)?

[Army of Dad]

  On 6/18/2014 at 6:16 PM, TheTastyGreek said:

Not mad with power... Angry and empowered.

As far as lack of trademark protection leading to a proliferation of unlicensed apparel...

I brush with it morning and night, and all my cool subversive pals and I really feel like we're sticking it to Colgate. It's everywhere, and absolutely nobody thinks I'm a scumbag when I buy or use it in public.

Hmm, what about characterizing people of Irish descent as quick to anger/willing to fight? The Holy Cross Crusaders might be found to be offensive to certain segments of society. God help us if someone thinks it's not cool that the symbol of our nation is green and appears to be stoned or drunk... Edited June 18, 2014 by Army of Dad

[Cerebus]

  On 6/18/2014 at 8:31 PM, Army of Dad said:

Hmm, what about characterizing people of Irish descent as quick to anger/willing to fight?

It's the Fightin' Irish, a term that has been deemed acceptable by the vast majority of that group. A better comparison would be if they had been named the Notre Dame Taigs. A term which would be considered offensive.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

--- That was the one team name that I thought might be considered offensive.. the rest (tribe names) don't seem offensive to me.. if this goes too far .... we would have to rename about 1/2 of the states .. I think most state names are actually named after various "native American" groups or terms...

--I wonder how well the terms "Whiteskins" or "Blackskins" would go over.??.. I'm guessing not too well.

Edited June 18, 2014 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[TheTastyGreek]

  On 6/18/2014 at 9:26 PM, SCREAMING EAGLE-66 said:

if this goes too far .... we would have to rename about 1/2 of the states

Not without precedent. I think we're all glad it's not legally known as Wopshington D.C. anymore.

[UNT90]

Dumbass Washington fans are going to cling to the moniker as an act of defiance, no matter if the team is renamed.

And there will be a market for the apparel. Where there is a market...

Edited June 18, 2014 by UNT90

[Green P1]

  On 6/18/2014 at 11:51 PM, UNT90 said:

Dumbass Washington fans are going to cling to the moniker as an act of defiance, no matter if the team is renamed.

And there will be a market for the apparel. Where there is a market...

Wait.... You're agreeing that it's offensive?

[CMJ]

  On 6/18/2014 at 4:34 PM, Cerebus said:

I always though it was a offensive name, and wondered why no one made a big deal out of it:

Yeah, I always felt like Cleveland's logo was even more offensive than the Redskin moniker. Washington's logo is actually pretty respectful -- just change their name to the Indians or a local tribe.

Give Cleveland a new logo and it's all good.

Edited June 19, 2014 by CMJ

[TheTastyGreek]

  On 6/18/2014 at 11:51 PM, UNT90 said:

Dumbass Washington fans are going to cling to the moniker as an act of defiance, no matter if the team is renamed.

And there will be a market for the apparel. Where there is a market...

So, what is your point? That idiots will buy and wear Redskins stuff even if/when the team name is changed?

Is anyone really arguing with that?

[TheTastyGreek]

  On 6/19/2014 at 12:20 AM, CMJ said:

Yeah, I always felt like Cleveland's logo was even more offensive than the Redskin moniker. Washington's logo is actually pretty respectful -- just change their name to the Indians or a local tribe.

Give Cleveland a new logo and it's all good.

Shouldn't be a problem... Out of all of Major League Baseball, the only teams that haven't significantly changed their logo since the Indians have been using Chief Wahoo (doesn't matter if you consider it post-1951 or 1980) are the Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, Royals, Yankees, A's, Cubs, and Reds. And even those teams have changed their caps, wordmarks, etc. Oh, and the Rockies, too. Still going strong since 1993.

Everyone else, including expansion teams like Tampa, Arizona, and Washington, have changed their logos once or repeatedly. Even Atlanta took their own racial caricature out of the logo decades ago.