In a case brought before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Washington Redskins were dealt a near-fatal blow in their attempt to patent their own team name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that the moniker was disparaging to Native Americans and subsequently cancelled the impending trademark under federal law that "prohibits the protection of offensive or disparaging language." This case evolved from a petition that started all the way back in 2006 by plaintiff Amanda Blackhorse.
A similar lawsuit from 1992 had been tossed out due to a technicality that stemmed from plaintiffs that waited too long after the age of 18 to file their grievances. This current lawsuit effects patent registrations that already exist; though this won't have any sort of noticeable impact in the near future as the franchise will undoubtedly appeal. If the Redskins don't win that appeal it basically means you can sell your own homemade Redskins shit, as the team would no longer own the logo.
[via Think Progress]
