Photo is of Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a Blackfeet Nation political leader and designer of the Indian chief on the helmets of the Washington Redskins
Via CSN News
A federal judge seems to think Native Americans offended by the Washington Redskins team name are properly being sued by the NFL franchise.
Judge Gerald Bruce Lee suggested during a hearing Friday that it would be unprecedented to dismiss the team’s lawsuit against five Native Americans who complained about the name to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
A trademark office board decided in June to cancel some of the Redskins’ trademarks, citing federal regulations against protecting words and images that are disparaging or offensive.
The team could have challenged the ruling in appellate court in Washington, but sought help instead in a venue that gives it more options, by going to a trial court to sue the Native Americans who complained in the first place.[…]
The judge seemed to agree and said he would issue a written ruling at a later date.
The team’s trademark protection remains in place while the issue makes its way through the court system, and the trademark board’s ruling does not apply to the team’s current logo, which includes an American Indian head in profile.