The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the government cannot deny trademark registration to offensive names is good news for the Washington Redskins and others, but there is a cultural cost, BSF Partner Josh Schiller tells The New York Times.
“What the Supreme Court has said is you don’t have to change your name if you don’t want to, because you can protect it with a federally protected trademark,” he tells the Times. “But culturally, it is important to consider whether the name still offends people, and whether it will build good will around the mark.”
Schiller was also quoted in USA Today, The National Law Journal, and Law360.
NEW YORK TIMES: Criticized Team Names Get a Legal Lift, but the Price Could Be High
USA TODAY: Redskins' Daniel Snyder "THRILLED" With Supreme Court Ruling
LAW360: Lawyers Weigh In On High Court's Offensive-TM Ruling (subscription)