The controversy over the Washington Redskins team name continued on Sunday when a federal judge ruled they could continue suing five Native Americans, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The group filed a petition in 2006 against the use of the name, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled this June that the six Redskins trademark registrations should be canceled.
Once the ruling came down, the team went after the group in court.
Judge Gerald Bruce Lee ruled that dismissing the case would be unprecedented and is expected to issue a formal ruling at a later date.
The Redskins are using a interesting approach, saying the name wasn't offensive when the trademarks were registered between 1967 and 1990.
Social worker Amanda Blackhorse, who leads the group of five Native Americans, explained the group's decision to file the petition stemmed from her experience at a Redskins game in 2005.
“These fans were very aggressive and they were very rude and very disrespectful, very racist and hostile, and just because we simply stood there and held a sign saying we don’t agree with Native American mascots. I also saw the way that they dress — the red face, the feathers. That’s basically mockery of our culture. That opened my eyes to all of this.”
The FCC have said recently that they may ban the name from broadcasts.
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