NFL Washington Redskins Can Sue Native Americans, Judge Rules

A federal judge has given the Washington Redskins organization the green light to sue the group of Native Americans who complained to the USPTO about the team name, which they said was offensive. The USPTO recently cancelled trademark protections for six team trademarks, agreeing with the charge that the marks violated federal laws against disparaging or offensive words or images. The organization has also asked the judge to reverse that decision, claiming that cancelling the trademarks would violate its free speech rights. Losing those trademarks would cost the organization tens of millions of dollars per year, the AP has reported.