Washington Redskins trademark cancelled; Patent Office says name is ...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has cancelled the Redskins trademark on the grounds that it is offensive to Native Americans.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has cancelled the Washington Redskins trademark registration, an extremely rare move the office said it made because the name is offensive to Native Americans.

Trademarks that disparage or belittle other groups are not permited under federal law. The ruling Wednesday pertains to six different trademarks containing the word 'Redskin.'

Native American groups have been fighting the football team, its owners and sponsors for decades, trying to persuade them to change the name.

This is the second time the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has faced a petition to cancel these registrations. The first was in 1992.

More to come.