U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Rejects “Redskins” as Part of Product Name
By Ken Reed
In a move that could spell trouble for Dan Snyder in his quest to continue using the nickname “Redskins” for his NFL franchise, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected the name “Redskins Hog Rinds” for a new pork rinds product. In a letter, the agency rejected the product name because it contained a “derogatory slang term.”
The USPTO heard a lawsuit brought by a group of American Indians in March in an effort to get Snyder’s federal trademark registration revoked for the “Redskins” nickname. A decision by the agency is pending and could come at any time.
The letter from the federal agency noted that the National Congress of American Indians and the Oneida Indian Nation, among other American Indian groups, finds the term “redskin” offensive.
“The USPTO ruling sends a powerful message to Washington team owner Dan Snyder and the NFL that in the name of basic decency and respect they should immediately stop spending millions of dollars to promote the R-word,” said Ray Halbritter, an Oneida Indian Nation representative.
If the USPTO rules against Snyder, he could still use the name but would lose protection against others using the mark. So, in effect, the Washington Redskins name would likely be dead as Snyder and the NFL surely wouldn’t want anyone being able to freely sell jerseys, novelty items, shirts, pennants, etc., with the team’s mark on them.
The USPTO has a chance to do the right thing in the face of the NFL behemoth.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
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Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
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