Judges rule Redskins can't trademark team's name
Story-Date: 12:09 a.m. PST Saturday , April 3, 1999

Judges rule Redskins can't trademark team's name



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Washington Redskins have no right to trademark
the team's name or the helmet logo showing an Indian's head in profile
because they are disparaging to Native Americans, a federal panel has
ruled.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Friday ruled in
favor of a group of Native Americans who filed a complaint in 1992, ordered
the cancellation of federal registrations for seven Redskin trademarks,
including the name and the helmet logo, the Washington Post reported
Saturday.

The ruling does not prevent the football team from continuing to use
the Redskins name and related logos.

But it could jeopardize the millions of dollars in revenue that all
National Football League teams reap from the sale of Redskins
merchandise because the team would no longer be able to use federal law to
prevent others from putting the logos on items such as T-shirts, caps and
pennants.

The Post quoted the Redskins' attorney, John Paul Reiner, as saying he
planned to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit. He also told the paper the team had no plans to change its
name.

As a result of the ruling, he said the team would use state patent laws to
protect the logos and name from illegal use by others.

Native American groups have long protested names and symbols they find
offensive -- including the Cleveland Indians' logo and the tomahawk chop
used by Atanta Braves fans. But this marks the first time that a federal
agency has ruled in their favor.

A portion of the revenue from the sale of NFL merchandise is kept by the
league, and the rest is distributed evenly among all the teams, generating
about $5 million a year for each club.

REUTERS


For more information, visit the NewsHound website at http://www.newshound.com
or send an email to speak@hound.com.