WASHINGTON DC — The Washington Redskins have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its case over the controversial Redskins trademark. The case is currently set to go before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.
In June of 2014, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled the Redskins name was offensive to Native Americans, thus the team could not trademark its name. The Redskins kept their trademark during the appeals process.
In December 2015, the team received some good news when the Federal appeals court ruled the government was wrong to reject trademarks of names that are deemed offensive. That ruling didn’t directly involve the Redskins, but rather an Asian American rock band called The Slants.
The ruling said the band had the right to trademark protections even if some people were offended by the name.
According to court documents, the Redskins are asking the court to be heard alongside the existing case for “The Slants” because of their similarity.
The team would like the court to hear the case before the appellate court makes their decision on the case.
