The Washington Redskins trademark dispute was a legal effort by Native Americans to define the term "redskin" to be an offensive and pejorative racial slur to deprive the owners of the NFL's Washington Redskins of the ability to maintain federal trademark protection for the name. These efforts had primarily been carried forward in two cases brought before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While prevailing in the most recent case in which the trademarks were cancelled, petitioners withdrew for further litigation now that the legal issue has become moot due to a decision in another case which found the relevant portion of the trademark law to be an unconstitutional infringement on freedom of speech.
After decades of defending the name, amidst the removal of many names and images as part of the George Floyd protests combined with pressure from investors and sponsors, the Redskins began the process of changing their name.[1][2] On July 23, 2020 the team announced that, given that a rebrand typically takes 12 to 18 months, they would be called the Washington Football Team with a block "W" logo for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.[3]
The franchise underwent an extensive search for a new trademark and name, and announced its new branding as the Washington Commanders on February 2, 2022.[4][5][6]