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U.S. Patent Office cancels trademark for Redskins football team
Posted on June 18, 2014 at 10:06 am
Think Progress
[Ed. - But how is that helping the liberal cause? Won't this just mean that more people can use it?]
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has canceled six federal trademark registrations for the name of the Washington Redskins, ruling that the name is “disparaging to Native Americans” and thus cannot be trademarked under federal law that prohibits the protection of offensive or disparaging language.
The U.S. PTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued a ruling in the case, brought against the team by plaintiff Amanda Blackhorse, Wednesday morning.
“We decide, based on the evidence properly before us, that these registrations must be cancelled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered,” the board wrote in its opinion.
“The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board agreed with our clients that the team’s name and trademarks disparage Native Americans. The Board ruled that the Trademark Office should never have registered these trademarks in the first place,” Jesse Witten, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, said in a press release. “We presented a wide variety of evidence – including dictionary definitions and other reference works, newspaper clippings, movie clips, scholarly articles, expert linguist testimony, and evidence of the historic opposition by Native American groups – to demonstrate that the word ‘redskin’ is an ethnic slur.”
Read more at http://libertyunyielding.com/2014/06/18/u-s-patent-office-cancels-trademark-redskins-football-team/#373odLW5U3crhCeh.99
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Want to see heads explode?
Rename the team as the Washington "Crusaders".
(http://www.lewrockwell.com/assets/2005/06/shield.jpg)
Go, Crusaders!
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So now, in order to punish Dan Snyder for using the name Redskins (a name that came with the team), the USPTO has now encouraged anyone to use it without trademark repercussions.
Flippin' brilliant move there.
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Want to see heads explode?
Rename the team as the Washington "Crusaders".
(http://www.lewrockwell.com/assets/2005/06/shield.jpg)
Go, Crusaders!
Name them after the gutless Washington pols. Call the the "Washington Foreskins"!
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Want to see heads explode?
Rename the team as the Washington "Crusaders".
(http://www.lewrockwell.com/assets/2005/06/shield.jpg)
Go, Crusaders!
My idea was just to rename it to the Washington Skins, with the word "skins" always in red. Then Snyder sets up another entity somewhere with the team name Skins and in order to differentiate, you have to refer to them as the "Red Skins" or the "Blue Skins."
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Looks like when Obama and Reid didn't get their way, they sic'd the U.S. Government on Snyder.
Can we say 'government overreach??' **nononono*
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Looks like when Obama and Reid didn't get their way, they sic'd the U.S. Government on Snyder.
Can we say 'government overreach??' **nononono*
There is a history with the government and this team. Back in '62, the Redskins' founder, George Preston Marshall, was the last holdout on keeping his team all-white and segregated. The others had been nudged to accept black people about a decade before. So the Kennedy administration basically threatened Marshall with revoking the lease on what would eventually become RFK Stadium. Soon enough, Bobby Mitchell (who was black) was a Redskin.
Of course, it raises the question: if this was such a big deal, why didn't they address it until now? They could have done this in '62. They could have done this back when the trademark was filed. Yet they did nothing until this trumped up controversy flared up a year ago for no concrete reason. They had EIGHTY YEARS!
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Per Wiki...
A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of pains and penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without privilege of a judicial trial. As with attainder resulting from the normal judicial process, the effect of such a bill is to nullify the targeted person’s civil rights, most notably the right to own property (and thus pass it on to heirs), the right to a title of nobility, and, in at least the original usage, the right to life itself. Bills of attainder were used in England between about 1300 and 1800 and resulted in the executions of a number of notable historical figures. However, the use of these bills eventually fell into disfavour due to the obvious potential for abuse and the violation of several legal principles, most importantly separation of powers, the right to due process, and the precept that a law should address a particular form of behaviour rather than a specific individual or group. For these reasons, bills of attainder are expressly banned by the United States Constitution as well as the constitutions of all 50 US states.
:smokin:
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So does this mean China has all their Redskin printing presses ready to roll? This may slap the government back in it face. Think about it. Most are OK with this name. People will buy and wear Redskin stuff should this occur. It will fly off the chinaman pickup trucks.
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Since every NFL team shares revenue (including sales of jerseys, etc.), they should join in a lawsuit challenging this.
The irony of this is that, should this patent ruling hold, the use of the name "Redskin" might become even more prominent.
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(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PV_x_Sqkt00/U6G-P38RjHI/AAAAAAAAqeE/b5H12li2_a4/s1600/DC+Marxists.png)
http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/2014/06/after-revoking-trademark-obama-wh.html (http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/2014/06/after-revoking-trademark-obama-wh.html)
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Again, it appears the only reason you showed up here is to pimp your blog. You used to do this all the time at FR, and I called you on it then too.
If you have nothing to say here but to pimp your blog, then why not go there and work on content that might actually attract an audience of your own.
And there is still nothing particularly "Reaganite" about anything that you post.
:smokin:
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"Daniel Snyder may be the last person in the world to realize this, but it's just a matter of time until he is forced to do the right thing and change the name."
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/u-s--patent-and-trademark-office-cancels-washington-redskins--trademarks-144712305.html
Most of the major blows to the supporters of the Washington Redskins' name have been just words. Now, there's a significant action against the nickname.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has canceled the Redskins' trademarks. The petitioners, consisting of five Native Americans, sought to cancel the trademarks based on a section of the Trademark Act that "prohibits registration of marks that may disparage persons or bring them into contempt or disrepute."
Six trademarks for the team were canceled in a divided ruling by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. The team has said it plans to appeal the decision.
The USPTO said in its ruling that "these registrations must be canceled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered, in violation of Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act of 1946, 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a)."
The trademarks that were canceled were granted between 1967 and 1990. Since 1992, the USPTO has denied to register trademarks that included Redskins at least 12 times, including seven applications from the Washington football team and one from NFL Properties (for "Boston Redskins"), according to USA Today. Disparagement grounds were cited for those denials.
The Redskins issued a statement from Bob Raskopf, trademark attorney for the team, regarding the split decision. It reads, in part:
"We are confident we will prevail once again, and that the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s divided ruling will be overturned on appeal. This case is no different than an earlier case, where the Board canceled the Redskins’ trademark registrations, and where a federal district court disagreed and reversed the Board. As today’s dissenting opinion correctly states, 'the same evidence previously found insufficient to support cancellation' here 'remains insufficient' and does not support cancellation.
"This ruling — which of course we will appeal — simply addresses the team’s federal trademark registrations, and the team will continue to own and be able to protect its marks without the registrations. The registrations will remain effective while the case is on appeal.
"When the case first arose more than 20 years ago, a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled on appeal in favor of the Washington Redskins and their trademark registrations. ..."
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has defended the name and has shown no signs that he'd voluntarily consider changing it. As Raskopf said in the statement, the team will retain its federal trademark rights during an appeal, which could take a long time. The team can also continue to use the name and the logo even if the USPTO's ruling stands.
The ruling doesn't mean the team would have to change the name. The issue would be that anyone could try to sell Redskins merchandise because it isn't trademarked, though USA Today said the team could fight for its rights to the logo and name, citing "common law and state statutes."
The ruling might not have an immediate impact on anything the Redskins do. But it seems like a pretty large setback to the supporters of the nickname as pressure continues to mount for the team to change it.
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The government is imposing it's will.
It would be cheaper and easier to just change the name, because the government, with the backing of the media, will not be denied.
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Again, it appears the only reason you showed up here is to pimp your blog. You used to do this all the time at FR, and I called you on it then too.
If you have nothing to say here but to pimp your blog, then why not go there and work on content that might actually attract an audience of your own.
And there is still nothing particularly "Reaganite" about anything that you post.
:smokin:
humblegunner .. That you? :silly:
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Blatant confiscation of private property
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Want to see heads explode?
Rename the team as the Washington "Crusaders".
(http://www.lewrockwell.com/assets/2005/06/shield.jpg)
Go, Crusaders!
I like teams named after something associated with the city or region. Like the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49rs.
Hmmmm Washington D.C. What to choose???
Washington Bandits
Washington Crooks
Washington Liars
Washington Gun Grabbers
Washington Tax-n-Spenders
Washington Robbers
Washington DCeivers
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Blatant confiscation of private property
We have descended into pure democracy where the opinions of the mob are enforced without restraint...
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So does this mean China has all their Redskin printing presses ready to roll? This may slap the government back in it face. Think about it. Most are OK with this name. People will buy and wear Redskin stuff should this occur. It will fly off the chinaman pickup trucks.
Good point. Sales of anything Redskins will now skyrocket, don't you think. We can do a quick eBay check. I bet closely on the heels of the Super Bowl champs the Seattle Seahawks, are the Redskins in number of team items for sale.
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humblegunner .. That you? :silly:
Not quite, but I do share his distaste for the common blog pimp. RR is notorious for this kind of self-promoting post, and used to be even more notorious for plagiarising all kinds of other people's internet artwork and written pieces, and posting them as if they were original RR content.
I have a good memory, and a short fuse for persistent intarwebs pains in the ass, and RR leads my list.
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So... it wasn't disparaging say, three years ago, or ten years ago, or twenty years ago but it's disparaging now?
That being the case, when it stops being disparaging, oh say in about another ten years (when all the people who decided some time in the last two years that the name that wasn't disparaging until now, is now disparaging, decide to grow up and take up topics of more substantial concern) will they be able to get the patent back?
I'd like to take this time to point out that (for rather obvious reason) naming a household cleaning product "Spic 'n Span" is offensive to my people.
I demand attrition, retributions, and massive remuneration paid to all those Latinos (like my mother) who worked as room maids for major hotel chains and had to endure staring at that demeaning name all their lives, then go home and be further demeaned when they sat down in front of their TV sets.
Once over lightly indeed.
Oh, the humanity.
(http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_laba97ti5I1qd2avdo1_500.gif)
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IMO, they should NEGOTIATE on behalf of Mr. Snyder's good senses...that the name change will not take effect until {future date}.
That "future date" should be not less than one hundred years from [date must not be back-dated].
This way...all the outraged and abused fans know their children or grandchildren will be free of the 'shame'. They win.
And...Mr. Snyder's private property rights are protected and his trademark ....and investment on same....is safe.
Thank you very much. :whistle:
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IMO, one of the groups they...the name change advocates in the government..are pissing off is the Baby Boomer.
We grew up on Saturday morning Westerns...grew up in the movie genre...watched all those childhood stars pass on. The adult ones are pushing 80+.
The "Redskins" were THE OPPONENT. It was either Cowboys and Indians or Cowboys and Cowboys. Or it was US Cavalry vs Indians.
That was all we had in our formative years.
Now that we're seasoned citizens, we can be honest when we say it's a term of endearment.
And my term endearment is more important than your fascist behavior. Especially when a muti-BILLION dollar brand...somebody's PRIVATE property is the target.
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Zero due process of law. A blatant 4th amendment violation all based on BS that some old white guys in DC created so they can rile people up.... bread and circuses. I bet the Lakota Sioux coach who named the Redskins as a term of honor is turning over in his grave. What's next, demanding Oklahoma change its state name due to the fact that it translates to Red Skin in Sioux?
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Mr. Snyder's best answer may be to say the teams new name begins with Los Angeles.
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Zero due process of law. A blatant 4th amendment violation all based on BS that some old white guys in DC created so they can rile people up.... bread and circuses. I bet the Lakota Sioux coach who named the Redskins as a term of honor is turning over in his grave. What's next, demanding Oklahoma change its state name due to the fact that it translates to Red Skin in Sioux?
Thinking that some day, that all copies of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns will be forbidden.
They'll be the 'Redskins' of some generation to come.
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Not quite, but I do share his distaste for the common blog pimp. RR is notorious for this kind of self-promoting post, and used to be even more notorious for plagiarising all kinds of other people's internet artwork and written pieces, and posting them as if they were original RR content.
I have a good memory, and a short fuse for persistent intarwebs pains in the ass, and RR leads my list.
Never understood the blog postings or should I say .. Why so many?
Is there money to be made?
Is it worth the wrath of Humblegunner? :shrug: :silly:
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Zero due process of law. A blatant 4th amendment violation all based on BS that some old white guys in DC created so they can rile people up.... bread and circuses. I bet the Lakota Sioux coach who named the Redskins as a term of honor is turning over in his grave. What's next, demanding Oklahoma change its state name due to the fact that it translates to Red Skin in Sioux?
A cursory search found a fair number of majority attended or owned native Indian schools with the name.
One of note ..
'We Are Very Proud To Be Called Redskins'
These are the words of Coshocton High School athletic director George Hemming, who serves as the athletic director for just one of the 70 different High Schools in 25 states are known as the Redskins.
Redskins.com found that there are almost as many schools using the name Redskins as Cowboys, as only 75 schools use the name Cowboys, and interestingly just 19 use the name Giants.
Coshocton High School is located in east central Ohio which has a rich Native American history. Hemming said "the name represents to us competition and pride."
In eastern Ohio, the name Redskins was adopted by Indian Creek High School in 1993.
Principal Steve Cowser said the name was selected when two schools with the nicknames Warriors and Indians were merged, and thus the Indian Creek Redskins were born.
Cowser explained how the name shows their "pride for the Native Americans and how they lived."
As Indian Creek High is a 45 minute drive from Pittsburgh, Cowser closed by stating, "Go Steelers," as a reminder of where his NFL loyalties stand.
These schools' athletes have a deep connection, just as the Washington Redskins alumni, and many high school student-athletes have pride in calling themselves Redskins.
One familiar high school Redskins athlete was Washington Redskins star Brian Orakpo, who played for the Lamar Redskins in his high School days in Houston, Texas.
http://www.redskins.com/news-and-events/article-1/We-Are-Very-Proud-To-Be-Called-Redskins/d4d7c05d-be39-4a27-9244-d06cfae46797
A full list of all schools and names can be found at http://www.maxpreps.com/search/school.aspx?school_name=Redskins
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humblegunner .. That you? :silly:
I had forgotten I still had this on my laptop.....you're an inspiration Mr. Close.... :beer:
Heard of a website. loaded with users,
hacked up and ready to go
Heard of some porn links, over in Russia,
a place where nobody knows
My Mother’s basement, here in the darkness,
I'm getting used to it now
I pimped at DU, I pimped at HuffPo,
I've pimped all over this town
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
this ain't no fooling around
No time for Freeping, or more donations,
I ain't got time for that now
Posting my excerpt, to 1000 websites
hope for a hitcount some day
I got three logins, a couple of hand-socks,
you don't even know my real name
High on some spraypaint, the spam is loading,
everything's ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, blogpimp in the nightime,
I might not ever get home
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
this ain't no fooling around
These ain’t no KOS Kids, or Weasel Zippers,
I ain't got time for that now
Heard about Pauly ? Heard about Marcos?
Heard about humblegunner?
You oughta know not to mess with pimpbusters
somebody Zot you out there
I got some pictures, some AP copy,
to last a couple of days
But I ain't got no lifestyle, ain't got no girlfriend, ain't got no reason to stay
Why make donations? Why post a real link?
Gonna be different this time
Can't write a letter, can't send a postcard,
I can't write nothing at all
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
this ain't no fooling around
I'd like to rob you, steal all your passwords
I ain't got no time for that now
Trouble at login, got through the firewall,
we blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping users,
I know that ain't allowed
We dress like students, we dress like housewives,
or in our birthday suits
I changed my avatar, so many times now,
I don't know what I look like!
You make me shiver, I feel so tender,
we make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some pimping,
you ought to get you some sleep
Got you the login, follow my directions,
then you should change your e-mail
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day,
whatever you think is best
Burned all my thumbdrives, what good are
thumbdrives? They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace,
the burning keeps me alive
Try to stay stealthy, away from MinnMod,
don't want to catch no quick zots
Try to be careful, don't take no chances,
you better watch what you say….
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My fear is that they are going to go after Football even more..
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(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SU7HjBJcHOE/UAEDWjQIDZI/AAAAAAAAAEw/4UsfhjSGvN0/s400/0t.jpg)
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(http://www.elimparcial.es/images/uploads/botellas.jpg)
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(http://www.baggersmag.com/sites/baggersmag.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/1104-hrbp-02-z%2Bpolaris-acquires-indian-motorcyclei%2Bindian-logo.jpg?itok=gLwcILoX)
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Luis, I know I've sparred with you a few times, but I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've posted on this thread so far. Just wanted to note that.
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(http://www.taverntrove.com/beerpics/Old-Indian-Beer-Bottles-Paper-Label-Old-Indian-Brewing-Company_60294-1.jpg)
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(http://d1jrw5jterzxwu.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_header_image/public/article_media/miltons-squaw-bread.jpg)
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Luis, I know I've sparred with you a few times, but I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've posted on this thread so far. Just wanted to note that.
What I would do, if I were the lawyers for the Redskins organization, is to counter-sue since all possible offensive brands haven't been addressed or have had their patents lifted.
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(http://www.sambosrestaurant.com/images/m-ln.png)
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Luis, don't forget about this highly offensive(sic) term that translates directly as Red Skin.
(http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/oklahoma/map.GIF)
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Luis, I know I've sparred with you a few times, but I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've posted on this thread so far. Just wanted to note that.
BTW... that was funny.
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Here is the possible law of unintended consequences in action.
What happened today didn't force the Redskins to change their name. Just the opposite, it simply said they have no right to the name- which means every knock off t-shirt, hat, and sports apparel maker can make Redskins merchandise without paying royalties back to the Redskins.
This may result in the name Redskins being far more prolific.
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Here is the possible law of unintended consequences in action.
What happened today didn't force the Redskins to change their name. Just the opposite, it simply said they have no right to the name- which means every knock off t-shirt, hat, and sports apparel maker can make Redskins merchandise without paying royalties back to the Redskins.
This may result in the name Redskins being far more prolific.
They have no right to the protected, sole use of the name.
They can continue to use the name, recognizing anybody else can sell "bootlegs" and "knockoffs."
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"I'd like to take this time to point out that (for rather obvious reason) naming a household cleaning product "Spic 'n Span" is offensive to my people."
LOL
And certainly the Dallas Cowboys are next. Them cowboys kilt a lotsa injuns.
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Crap!
I forgot one!
This a is both an offensive product name and the Obama administration's general White House staffing policy.
(http://www.blitzleadmanager.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/witeout.jpg)
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Crap!
I forgot one!
This a is both an offensive product name and the Obama administration's general White House staffing policy.
(http://www.blitzleadmanager.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/witeout.jpg)
on a roll
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How long before atheists complain about the San Diego MLB franchise name?
(http://www.ijreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/09-padres-friar-mascot-SD-Dirk-fl.jpg?fd27c9)
Is the liberal legal controlling principle here separation of Church and baseball?
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(http://artc321.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/cracker_barrel_hires_logo.jpg)
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This one fails from several angles.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ckrsDjwhL._SS365_.jpg)
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(http://artc321.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/cracker_barrel_hires_logo.jpg)
I just ate there tonight.
I can attest that based on everything and everyone that I saw around mew, the name fits.
My dinner was served in aluminum foil.
(http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6mcu5VJ9K1qzi62fo1_500.jpg)
That's not my dinner, but that's the special for June.
Campfire meals.
It was awesome.
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- The Daily Caller - http://dailycaller.com -
12 Trademarks Declared Less Offensive Than Redskins
Posted By Blake Neff and Jonah Bennett On 4:10 PM 06/18/2014 In | Comments Disabled
In a ruling Wednesday morning, the United States Patent and Trademark Office cancelled six federal trademarks for the name of the Washington Redskins. (RELATED: US Patent Office Cancels ‘Redskins’ Trademark)
Currently, federal trademark law does not allow the registration of any names that bring individuals or groups into contempt or disrepute. The PTO cited this rule in their decision regarding the Redskins’ name.
Here are twelve other trademarked names that apparently didn’t come up on anyone’s offense radar.
Figgas over Niggas: This pending trademark seeks to cover a line of “Apparel for dancers, namely, tee shirts, sweatshirts, pants, leggings, shorts and jackets.” “Niggas,” of course, is a slang version of the word “bleep,” a term considered highly offensive towards black Americans.
Kraut Kap: Another recently-filed trademark, this one for a line of plastic lids. “Kraut” was made famous in World War II as a derogatory term for opposing German soldiers, as well as Germans in general.
Dago Swagg: A label created for a line of clothing. ”Dago” is a corruption of the common name Diego, and is used in English-speaking countries as an offensive term for those of Italian descent, and occasionally people from other Mediterranean countries as well.
Cracka Azz Skateboards: Unsurprisingly, this trademark was taken out for a line of skateboards and longboards, as well as associated clothing such as bandannas. While the USPTO helpfully notes that “The wording ‘cracka azz’ has no meaning in a foreign language,” “cracka” is a slang version of “cracker,” which in this context is a term of derision for whites, used primarily within the black community.
You Can’t Make A Housewife Out Of A Whore: This trademark for T-shirts and hats appears to imply that women involved in prostitution can never transition into the domestic role of a housewife. Such an accusation would certainly “bring them into contempt or disrepute,” the stated reasoning for eliminating the Redskins trademark.
Blanco Basura: A seemingly innocuous phrase, Blanco Basura, rendered into English, is actually the highly offensive slur “white trash.” White trash is a derogatory insult that typically refers to poor, white Americans, who have a penchant for crime and a patent disrespect for authority. Apparently, they thought they could go unnoticed designing a hateful beer.
Home Cookin Biscuit Head: Intentionality, as we well know, is not required in order for something to be highly, highly offensive. They should’ve done their due diligence before designing this logo for the restaurant industry. The term “biscuit head” has its origins in the Korean War, when American GIs picked this unseemly term to describe the shape of Koreans’ heads.
‘teensdoporn.com’: This is a classic example (Safe For Work) of a harmful stereotype used to justify condescension toward teens in the form of countless hours of sex-ed in high school. It wrongfully supposes that all teens are sex-crazed maniacs, who given the chance, will opt for trading their sexuality on a website for fame and fortune.
Gypsy Soule Women Who Live By Their Own Rules: This line of makeup containers and tote bags is a double whammy. “Gypsy” is a term for the itinerant Romani people that derives from the erroneous belief they originated from Egypt, rather than India. In addition, the “Live by their own rules” component hearkens to the common stereotype that Romani routinely ignore the law and engage in criminality.
Mammy Jamia’s: A company going by the name of A & S Cairns Limited has decided to attach its good name to an antebellum slur used to refer to an enslaved black woman who was in charge of household affairs, particularly caring for white children. The product? Frozen fruits and vegetables. Was it really worth it, A &S?
Uppity Negro: Intended to be imprinted on mugs and apparel, this trademark references the frequently used adjective “uppity” to describe blacks who agitated for greater respect and civil rights in the Jim Crow-era South.
All Natural My Dadz Nutz Carmelized Jumbo Redskins: Available at MyDadzNutz.com, this line of savory peanuts is unlikely to run into trouble for applying “redskin” to a line of peanuts. One might argue the two terms describe different things, and so the overlap does not matter, but that hasn’t stopped the old name for Brazil nuts from fading away. Kaffir limes, meanwhile, are a discouraged name in the Oxford Companion to Food, as “kaffir” is a highly offensive term for blacks in South Africa.
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URL to article: http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/18/12-trademarks-declared-less-offensive-than-redskins/
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Tongue in cheek ...
Sweden Demands Football Vikings Change Name
by Keith Koffler (http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2014/06/19/sweden-demands-football-vikings-change/)on June 19, 2014, 9:36 am
The nation of Sweden is demanding that the Obama administration act to deny copyright status to the Minnesota Vikings, claiming the name demeans its citizens and all other Scandinavians.
“We can no longer tolerate the use of this disgusting epithet by an American football team,” said Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Milkquist in a letter to President Obama
“First of all, ‘football’ means ‘soccer,’ Milkquist wrote. “I realize that this is an unrelated matter, but it really pisses people off in Europe. You only use your foot occasionally in football, whereas in soccer the foot is the only thing you can use. Or at least the main thing.
“Secondly, the term ‘Vikings’ suggests a violent race intent on pillaging small villages and stealing their women,” Milkquist continued. “In fact, the Vikings were a peace-loving people who spread goodwill throughout the world and grew strawberries in the summer.”
Milkquist wrote that the “proper” term is “Norsemen,” saying, “Please tell your patent office to rename the team the Minnesota Norsemen.”
He noted that a group of Minnesota Vikings were at one time referred to as “The Purple People Eaters,” adding, “See what I mean?”
Milkquist called the U.S. ambassador into his office Wednesday, handed him the letter, and smacked him in the face. He also suggested to the ambassador that the United States change the name of the Green Bay Packers as well. “It’s nothing against Sweden, it’s just bad name,” he said. “You Americans have no taste.”
The White House said it would immediately begin proceedings to change the Vikings’ moniker.
“The president has ordered the U.S. patent office to revoke the Vikings’ copyright and to arrest Fran Tarkenton and put him in jail,” said White House press Secretary Jay Carney.
Tarkenton, who retired in 1978, will be housed at Gitmo.
“We have openings there,” Carney said, “and it’s the best place to extract information from him.”
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians earlier this week successfully rebuffed an attempt by the Obama administration to change their name, with the team’s attorney’s arguing that the name in fact refers to people who live in Subcontinent and is in no way meant to offend Native Americans.
:silly:
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(http://i59.tinypic.com/orm3df.jpg)
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My favorite local restaurant is called Spicy Gringo's. :beer:
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(http://comicincorrect.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/TM-Red-Skins-590-LI.jpg) (http://comicallyincorrect.com/2014/06/19/red-skins/)
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I read an interesting bit in today's WSJ that the basis for removing the Redskins trademark is basically just a recycled argument from the 1990s that an appellate court threw out - i.e., they overruled that argument - so it's possible the team will get the trademark reinstated.
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Here is the possible law of unintended consequences in action.
What happened today didn't force the Redskins to change their name. Just the opposite, it simply said they have no right to the name- which means every knock off t-shirt, hat, and sports apparel maker can make Redskins merchandise without paying royalties back to the Redskins.
All true, but let me expand a bit. The Redskins have a number of trademarks including the logo used on their helmet and the color and design of their uniforms and authorized clothing lines. Those are still protected. But try making a Redskins helmet and put it for sale at Wallmart without permission from the Team and NFL and , you are going to jail. The use of the name “Redskins” is the trademark being revoked. With no trademark restriction someone can print and sale a I heart Redskins T-shirt as long as the T-shirt colors are not protected by the other Team and NFL trademarks. Despite what the media is saying this is not the death of the team name. If anything it will increase trademark violations with the Redskins being the winners
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I read an interesting bit in today's WSJ that the basis for removing the Redskins trademark is basically just a recycled argument from the 1990s that an appellate court threw out - i.e., they overruled that argument - so it's possible the team will get the trademark reinstated.
You think? Who was AG in 1990? How far left had the country shifted? In 1990 did you think it was possible for a supreme court chief justice to employ tortured logic to uphold a socialist program?
The Redskins better pick an new name, and quickly.
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You think? Who was AG in 1990? How far left had the country shifted? In 1990 did you think it was possible for a supreme court chief justice to employ tortured logic to uphold a socialist program?
The Redskins better pick an new name, and quickly.
The case law has nothing to do with the AG. Justice Roberts did nothing of the sort and that sort of tortured ad hominem is becoming tedious, to say the least.
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I read an interesting bit in today's WSJ that the basis for removing the Redskins trademark is basically just a recycled argument from the 1990s that an appellate court threw out - i.e., they overruled that argument - so it's possible the team will get the trademark reinstated.
The 1992 suit was overturned on appeal....on a technicality.
Today, it was reported that FEDERAL EXPRESS....the Redskins play in "FEDEX FIELD".....may want out of their agreement to have their name on the stadium.
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IMO, the logo on the Cleveland Indians is much more offensive than the Washington Redskins logo.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EDm71P1iL.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ACH4hEd1Ssg/U6G5itmqyJI/AAAAAAAAxAA/P3VaD5yAEEI/w426-h329/google_img20140618-7432-lg3l6g.jpg)
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The case law has nothing to do with the AG. Justice Roberts did nothing of the sort and that sort of tortured ad hominem is becoming tedious, to say the least.
Since when do we adhere to case law, or the constitution? If you think the AG had nothing to do with any of this, well, I'll just say we disagree.
As for Roberts, it wasn't an ad hominem, it was a observation based on performance. And I am not the first to call it tortured logic. If it damages your feelings, well, I find THAT tedious.
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"IMO, the logo on the Cleveland Indians is much more offensive than the Washington Redskins logo."
The logo is still protected, they didn't go after that. Just the team name.
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IMO, the logo on the Cleveland Indians is much more offensive than the Washington Redskins logo.
You need to make Chief Wahoo a little bigger!
The Chief is on his way out. The Indians use the block C in most applications. The name change will be not long after the Redskins change theirs.
I heard Ohio AG Mike DeWine and he said Chief Wahoo is actually better protected. There isn't a trademark, but Ohio has some kind of common law property protection. DeWine also felt that Chief Wahoo wasn't demeaning because it was a caraciture, not a likeness.
No matter, the leftists will demand it be changed, and it will.
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Since when do we adhere to case law, or the constitution? If you think the AG had nothing to do with any of this, well, I'll just say we disagree.
As for Roberts, it wasn't an ad hominem, it was a observation based on performance. And I am not the first to call it tortured logic. If it damages your feelings, well, I find THAT tedious.
Have it your way then: it was a patently false analysis based on a tortured misreading of the facts and the opinions in the case.
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direct link: http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/18/12-trademarks-declared-less-offensive-than-redskins/
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And of course, there is N***as With Attitude, the rap group that is getting some buzz for their upcoming movie project.
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Some commentary:
"Washington Redskins" in poor taste? How about a new name: "Washington Raccoons?"
Washington Window | blog | June 20, 2014 - 2:43pm
Dick Farley, Cape Cod Today (http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/farley/2014/06/20/25814-washington-redskins-poor-taste-how-about-new-name-washington-raccoons)
WASHINGTON, DC -- Time to get serious about this whole Washington Redskins thing, if you'll pardon my use of their "patently" offensive team name.
Certifiably offensive, it is, after the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday canceled the team's trademark registration. No more logo or name protections, and "open season" on counterfeit souvenirs!
In a 99-page decision issued by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, after deliberating the 'Skins case (that's what we call them around these parts) for well over a year, their edict came down.
"No mo' 'Skins!"
Here and around the nation's capital, especially after Robert Griffin, III (or "RG3") was drafted to flesh out our quarterback slot (more about how that's turning out on the sports pages), it's been "Go 'Skins!" this and "How about them 'Skins?" that. Now what are we going to do?
Well, it's in dispute how many Native Americans... or "First Nations" folk, as they're more properly termed... give a hoot much less a holler about our Washington football team's moniker.
Some polls say as many as 18 percent are uncomfortable with it, suggesting 82 percent either are OK with it, or have other things to care about. The "thought police" and "PC patrols" are up in arms about it, though.
Given the neglect and mishandling of "Indian Affairs" by Uncle Sam and just about everyone else since General Custer, (well, it didn't turn out well for George, but some say he brought it on himself; sad about his cavalrymen, though), many true American Indian people are focusing on their high rates of alcoholism and drug abuse, unemployment and unrelenting poverty.
OK, some are running their tribes' casinos, but it's the up side of their not "really" being in America, after some of those 19th Century treaties they signed, before anybody had ever heard of oil. Or uranium.
However, in Washington, DC, where Congress and the DC government have everything well under control, we have entire bureaucratic offices dedicated to worrying about such matters, and no shortage of law makers eager to weigh in, either.
Indeed, we even had the "Non-Disparagement of American Indians Act of 2013," co-sponsored by DC's ever-vigilant delegate to the U. S. House of Representatives, The Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton, introduced not long after the 'Skins' case was heard by the trademark court.
The bill didn't pass, but that was never the point.
The point was it gave renewed opportunity to bash Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who's wealthy and white and so is fair game, and who has steadfastly refused to buckle under to calls for a name change of his team.
Dan even set up a charity to benefit Native American causes, but that didn't satisfy Eleanor, who's not even an Indian, anyway. See how tangled up this can get?
Hey! It's football! It's a game!
Lots of cool guys, black and white (OK, so not many Indians) like to play it, make some money if they're really good at it, and don't seem to have a problem being "Redskins" for a day or so once a week.
Back to Dan Snyder, the Redskins' owner.
Emphasis on "his" team. He owns it. Bought and paid for it, pays his players among the best in the biz and is concentrating on figuring out how to win football games, preferably the Super Bowl again. As noted, for details see the sports pages.
What Delegate Norton has yet to do is offer an alternative name for Washington's pigskin pastime, so we are opening yet another contest, this one for Cape and Island readers to try and untangle this Gordian Knot of a conundrum.
(Sorry, but if I use any words or metaphors unfamiliar to readers or Twitter users, please Google them.)
I'll start. Here's my suggestion, given that my wife is a graduate wildlife scientist and I hail from West Virginia, which is still "Wild and Wonderful," if not quite "Almost Heaven" as our pal, the late John Denver, called it
The Washington Redskins should consider being called... (wait for it)... the Washington Raccoons!
Those furry little mammals come to your house in the night and take stuff you leave outside. Like Congress, in a manner of speaking.
Heck, raccoons wear a mask, and they already come with a black eye.
So the occasional infantile millionaire "ex-college athlete" pro footballer doesn't have to make the headlines for an after-hours party altercation or go into rehab just to generate publicity.
Not if he's a Washington Raccoon! He can be a "bad dude" if he wants to, just by showing up for practice.
Raccoons, despite being pesky and sometimes messy, are cuddly and cute.
What football player doesn't want to be seen by his fans as cuddly and cute?
Bears are cuddly and cute, too, but Chicago took that one.
Lions, Cardinals, Bruins (OK, those are bears, too), Penguins, Dolphins. But you get the point.
Native Americans... or First Nations people... or even "Redskins," if you'll pardon the alleged pejorative... would understand using an animal as a team totem, where the critters' attributes are honored by folks.
So, let's hear it again for the Washington Raccoons!
There are practical considerations and benefits for Dan Snyder to adopt our suggested name.
First, "Redskins" and "Raccoons" have the same number of letters. Count 'em if you don't believe me. I'll wait.
And the first and last letters are the same, too. Thus, we have to change only six letters on our shirts. Six!
So team regalia and the big gold "R" on some of our hats could stay pretty much the same, just put a few different letters on the garments, banners and stickers and: "Voila!" It's game time!
Just imagine how many cuddly stuffed raccoons will be sold, and how cute the new team mascot will be in his big furry head and mask, running around pestering the other team's Lion or Bear or a guy in a bird suit.
What's not to like?
Raccoons don't have any "animal rights" extremists campaigning or fundraising for them, or against any slights or ill treatment, other than maybe their all-too-frequent status as road kill on our highways.
Heck, the Washington team could even make that a warm and fuzzy "raccoon rights campaign," urging motorists not to text and drive, especially at night, lest they flatten a cute critter unjustly in their reckless haste.
It's settled, then?
OK, let's give a big cheer for our new team in the nation's capital, the Washington Raccoons!
Here we go, all together now, instead of "Go... go... go... 'Skins!"
It's now going to be: "Let's go 'Coo..."
Oh, wait. Uh, oh. That's never going to work.
Never mind. We'd better go with the Washington Roadkills!
Almost the same number of letters. Same "R" and "s."
And we'll stay out of Patent Court, too.