Coalition applauds Patent Office decision

Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Patent Office Decision on Washington Football Team Name

Washington – Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s decision to cancel six trademark registrations held by the Washington R*dsk*ns football team:

“I applaud today’s decision by the Patent and Trademark Office regarding these divisive and harmful trademarks. While this team can use whatever name or logo it likes, the government is not required to be complicit when a name has a long history of being an insult and a slur.

Today’s decision should spur the team ownership and the National Football League to seriously reconsider their position on this issue and to realize that they are on the wrong side of history. Many other athletic organizations, professional and amateur alike, have eliminated the use of offensive names, logos, and mascots without affecting the success of their teams or the loyalty of their fans.”

 
Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.