In remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) celebrated The United States Patent and Trademark Office decision to cancel six of the Washington Redskins’ trademark registrations, saying it was just a matter of time until the team gives up the name for good.
“This is extremely important to Native Americans all over the country, that they no longer use this name,” Reid said. “It’s racist. [Redskins owner] Daniel Snyder says it’s about tradition. I ask what tradition? A tradition of racism. That’s all that that name leaves in its wake. The writing is on the wall. It’s on the wall in giant, blinking, neon lights. The name will change and justice will be done for the tribes in Nevada and across the nation who care so deeply about this issue. The patent and copyright office today took away all the trademarks. The Redskins no longer have trademarks. They are gone.”
Reid said that as he understood the law, if someone now wants to use the Redskins name to “sell some shirt,” they can do so.
“There is no trademark anymore for the Redskins,” Reid said. “Daniel Snyder may be the last person in the world to realize this, but it’s just a matter of time until he is forced to do the right thing and change the name.”
