What team had the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invalidate some of their trademark protections in 2014? The answer is the Redskins, the former name of Washington's NFL team. The ruling concerned several federally registered trademarks associated with the team.
On June 18, 2014, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board concluded that the name was disparaging toward Native Americans and ordered the cancellation of six trademark registrations held by Pro-Football, Inc. The decision did not immediately force the team to change its name or stop selling merchandise; it mainly weakened the benefits of federal trademark registration, including some enforcement advantages against counterfeit goods.
The team appealed, and the dispute continued through the courts. In 2017, the Supreme Court's decision in Matal v. Tam struck down the federal law barring disparaging trademarks, ending the legal basis for the cancellation. Washington later retired the Redskins name in 2020 and adopted the temporary name Washington Football Team before becoming the Washington Commanders in 2022.