Professor Phillips Quoted in Washington Times Article on the Rejected Trademark Application for the Washington Football Team’s Name
Aneeta Mathur-Ashton
June 22, 2021
Prof. Victoria Phillips, Director of the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic, was quoted in a Washington Times article about the trademark application for the Washington Football Team’s name. “Washington Football Team’s Trademark Initially Refused” by Matthew Paras focuses on how the team’s trademark application for its new name was rejected, creating questions regarding whether the NFL team can use the name it adopted before the 2020 season.
In the article, Prof. Phillips says she expects the team to challenge the rejection quickly: “Going without federal trademark protection for these goods seems very unlikely. Without a trademark, others would be allowed to sell Washington Football Team apparel — and the franchise would have a harder time stopping it.”
Prof. Phillips is an expert on trademark law whose previous publications on racist team names include Beyond Trademark: The Washington Redskins Case and the Search for Dignity; The Longstanding Pro Bono Battle Challenging the Washington Football Team’s Trademarks; and Missing the Point: The Real Impact of Native Mascots and Team Names on American Indian and Alaska Native Youth.
More of PIJIP’s work on Intellectual Property justice for traditional culture and traditional communities can be found here.