There has been ongoing drama behind the Washington Redskins use of the term “redskin” and whether or not it was racially/culturally insensitive to Native Americans. It looks like the US Patent and Trademark Office has made the decision for us by cancelling the Washington Redskins’ trademarks to the Redskins name saying that it is ‘disparaging of Native Americans.’
What does this mean for Washington? Simply put, the NFL team can still use and go by the name Washington Redskins but it would lose a significant portion of its ability to protect its financial interests related to the name. So, if you’ve been wanting to start that “Redskins Hot Dog Cart” now is your time. Like the Indian logo and want to put it on a few t-shirts? You probably can and will likely face no penalty what so ever.
The Washington Redskins plan to appeal the decision but experts say that, regardless, it is unlikely that the team will suffer business-wise from the trademark loss.
