Fed's Deny "Redskins" Trademark

Brace Hemmelgarn, USA TODAY Sports

In a new turn of events in Washington's professional football teams controversial namesake, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has canceled the teams' trademark "Redskins" name on the basis that it is "disparaging to Native Americans."

This is just the latest in the debate regarding the name of Washington's professional football team. The steam has really picked up over the last couple years and now they may have finally hit the owner, Dan Snyder, where it hurts, his wallet.

Canceling the "Redskins" trademark will now make it difficult for the organization to come after anybody who uses the trademark on any type of items, from clothes, to hats, and memorabilia.

This is sure to cause uproar for 31 of the 32 owners in the NFL because of the revenue sharing agreement between all but one team (Dallas Cowboys), and will have an ill-effect on their total revenue amount. Considering Robert Griffin III had the highest selling jersey of any one-year period in NFL history, from April 2012 to March 2013, this may hurt a lot more than if it was to happen to a lesser publicized franchise. So losing the trademark rights is a major negative for the ownership group of the NFL.

When approached on Wednesday regarding the decision by the USPTO, Dan Snyder only waved at reporters and chose not to comment.

The franchise has already filed for an appeal, so this is far from the end.

In 1999 the USPTO was able to cancel the trademark, but that decision was appealed as well and eventually turned around due to a technicality in 2003. That technicality was that the Native Americans who testified against the name were too old and should have filed their complaints when they had initially registered the nickname in 1967.

The organization believes that since the case is basically the same case as the one ten years ago, that they will once again win the case and this will end. Not everyone believes that will happen, including 49 Senators who sent a letter to the NFL last month to change their name.

Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat in my home state of Washington as well as a former chairwoman of the Indian Affairs Committee, told ESPN.com that she expects the ruling to be upheld on appeal. She then went on to say, “We’re so excited to know that finally people are recognizing that this issue can no longer be a business case for the NFL to use this patent... They will not be able to forcefully exclude other people from having derivatives of this logo or the name... This puts a big dent in their business model of trying to gain revenue from a disparaging term slur,"

For as many people this name does affect, regardless of the ones it doesn't, the name should be changed.

Dan Snyder has always said that he will NEVER change the name of the franchise, but hopefully this latest decision will leave a little gap in his pocketbook and coarse him into at least considering a name change.

The franchise is valued as the #3 NFL franchise, behind the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, so of course Snyder is raking in the money, and a large part of that is probably from the tradition behind the franchises name. 

I understand that, but this is America and we are the people that make change when people are offended or hurt by slurs like this. 

Think if this name was based on any other persons like Whiteskin, Blackskin, or Yellowskin. NONE of those names would fly today, even if you thought for a split second that you were honoring that person.

You don't need to feel the same way as me on this issue but you have to open your eyes and understand why the name should be changed.