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U.S. judge rules Washington Redskins trademarks disparaging

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Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen (left) and Washington Redskins new general manager Scot McCloughan …

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The National Football League's Washington Redskins lost an emotionally charged battle on Wednesday when a U.S. federal judge refused to reinstate six trademark registrations canceled last year for being offensive to Native Americans.

U.S. District Judge Gerald Lee in Alexandria, Virginia, said he agreed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that the team's trademarks disparage Native Americans and that the law allowing for cancellation did not violate free speech rights of the U.