The Washington Redskins organization was dealt a major blow in court Wednesday, as a federal judge upheld a previous decision to cancel the team's federal trademark registrations due to the notion that its nickname is offensive to Native Americans.
According to Ian Shapira of the Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee affirmed a previous ruling by the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board that determined the Redskins nickname could not be protected under the Lanham Act since it may be disparaging to some people.
While the ruling will prevent the organization from applying for trademarks related to the Redskins nickname on a federal level moving forward, it can still be protected by state law.