Having lost his trademark over its overt racism, Daniel Snyder has taken the unusual step of suing the five Native American people who testified before the US Patent and Trademark Office hearing, which led to the finding that Snyder's team's name was "disparaging to Native Americans."
And that filing was denied by the judge, who will allow this ridiculous lawsuit to go forward. The team's lawyers apparently feel that using a lawsuit outside of its intended purpose is just fine in this case, even if it means the five activists will have to go through the legal proceedings, which will certainly involve some sort of time and monetary cost to them. It's beginning to look as though Daniel Snyder can't take a breath without pissing off at least some Native Americans. But, again, regardless of what you think of the team's name, the important part of this story is that Snyder and the Redskins are pursuing a path specifically designed to chill speech regarding trademarks a corporation might have in place. Should this start some kind of movement to allow for lawsuits against mere petitioners in trademark disputes, well, the team with the most money wins. The point is that allowing this sort of thing to go forward attaches a legal firearm to every dollar a company has within its coffers. Who will dispute a trademark with the threat of an expensive lawsuit staring them down?
Redskins Decide That Suing Offended Native Americans Should Really Help Their Case [Timothy Geigner/Techdirt]
