Federal judge orders cancellation of 'Redskins' trademark; team may appeal

A federal judge has ordered the cancellation of the Washington Redskins’ federal trademark on the team name, ruling in a 70-page decision that the name may be offensive to Native Americans.

This is the third blow against the team’s federal trademark after the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office voted to cancel the team’s federal trademark in June 2014.

The team has argued that the cancellation is an infringement of free-speech rights and that the government should not judge whether or not the name is offensive.

Washington may appeal the decision all the way to the Supreme Court if it desires, and it still holds trademarks on the state level. The cancellation of the trademark does not prevent the team from profiting off the name.

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