Court rules Washington Redskins can keep trademarks on name

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled in favor of the Washington Redskins in a 17-year battle against a group of American Indians who claim the football team's trademark is racially offensive.
The court upheld a judge's decision that Mateo Romero, an artist from the Cochiti Pueblo reservation in New Mexico, and six other Native Americans waited too long to file a claim. The suit, involving six of the Redskins' trademarks, asked that the National Football League franchise’s name be canceled due to complaints from American Indians.
In 1994 a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office appeals panel ruled that the trademarks should be canceled based on the complaint. Pro-Football Inc., the closely held parent company of the Redskins controlled by Dan Snyder, was granted the trademarks in 1967. The group sued in 1999 to overturn the finding.
The decision may not be the final word as the Court of Appeals did not rule on claims that the trademark is racist. There is another suit pending by other American Indians who claim slogans and images considered disparaging can’t be registered under U.S. trademark law.