Raritan [soylentnews.org] writes:
The US Patent Office is in the news frequently. When it's not doing things like
granting Amazon a patent for taking pictures on a white background [uspto.gov], it's also in charge of trademarks.
In response to a lawsuit from five Native Americans, the Patent and Trademark Office has withdrawn trademark support for the name "Washington Redskins." [washingtonpost.com]
Even if this decision is not overruled on appeal — and it has been before — this wouldn't mean the team would need to change its name. It does mean that that team couldn't enforce exclusive rights to use of the name on T-shirts and other fan memorabilia.
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