That the Washington Redskins football team name is controversial is undisputed, but the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board is weighing whether there was evidence that enough Native Americans considered it disparaging to cancel the team’s trademark registrations.
A March 7 hearing marked the latest development in more than two decades of litigation over the name, which has long been criticized as offensive to Native Americans. A previous challenge to the team’s trademark registrations succeeded before the trademark appeal board in 1999, but ultimately failed when the team appealed to the federal courts.
