It was an earthquake season for Washington’s commanders. Specifically, the franchise is on the verge of getting a new owner with Josh Harris’ team. Reaching an agreement to buy the group for $6.05 billion. after another NFL If the owners approve the sale, this new regime could face a growing situation regarding the team’s reputation. United States Patent and Trademark Office The franchise application was rejected To trademark the “Washington Commanders” moniker.
In particular, the application was rejected on two grounds. The first is due to the “possibility of confusion” with the “Commanders Classic” — every year College football A game between the Air Force and the Army — already trademarked. Another is from a pending application by Martin McCauley, a DC-area man who submitted trademarks while trying to guess the new team name. They are “Washington Space Commanders” and “Washington Wolf Commanders”. Two of the many trademark applications It was sent by McCaulay, who helped lead to this denial for an NFL franchise.
Washington began its name change process in 1933 when it decided to retire the “Redskins” nickname that had been associated with the team since 1933. It is in July 2020. During that time, the franchise called itself the “Washington Football Team” for two seasons. (2020-2021) as a stopgap until they decide on a permanent moniker. That is when they arrive in February 2022. He came up with the nickname “Commanders”..
So what happens now? as a Trademark attorney Josh Gerben notes, the team may respond to the USPTO saying that it is unlikely that they are confusing it with the “Commanders’ Classic” game. You can also try to buy the game rights or sign a coexistence agreement. With Macaulay, he said. of The Washington Post In the year In July 2020, the group announced that it would replace any trademarks they needed at no cost.
Of course, we’ll have to see if Macaulay holds those comments as the rubber hits the road on this issue.
From the commanders’ point of view, they seem confident of trademarking the nickname.
“The latest non-final office action by the Trademark Office is a normal course step in the normal trademark registration process,” a spokesperson for the group said. Pro Football Talk. “We will respond to the Trademark Office’s action and are confident that our registration will be granted. In particular, there is no confusion between our commanders’ insignia and the classic football game between the Army and the Air Force. We don’t believe.
So, it seems that all roads lead to the commanders getting the trademark they want. That said, it would be an interesting turn of events if this situation opens the door for the new ownership team to change the name again if they are unhappy with the “Commanders” moniker.