U.S. Government Has Been Reforming Washington's NFL Team Since 1960s

The decades-long controversy over the Washington Redskins' name has hit a climax. On Wednesday, June 18, the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled six federal trademark registrations for the team's name and logo, calling the name "disparaging to Native Americans." The office can't stop the team from using the name, but it can (at least pending a court reversal) bar the right to registration protections.

This is the second time the office has issued such a judgment. The first time was as part of a case that began in 1992, but that decision was appealed by the team and ultimately overruled by a federal court due in part to a lack of substantial evidence that the name is disparaging. Read more...