JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL JOIN FIGHT TO DEFEND FEDERAL LAW REDSKINS ARE CHALLENGING

The United States Department of Justice says they will be intervening in the trademark dispute concerning the team name of the Washington Redskins.

Back in June, a ruling from the US Patent & Trademark Office stripped the team of its trademark protection. The team is actively in the process of appealing that ruling.

The Justice Department filed paperwork on Friday that states it's joining the fight to defend the federal law that the Redskins are challenging in this case. Nowhere in the filings does it say the government agency, or Attorney General Eric Holder have any issue or wish to take any position on the controversy over the team name. Holder however has stated in the past that he agrees with those who would like to see the name changed.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, filed a notice in the lawsuit on Friday that the Justice Department would defend the constitutionality of a key provision of the Lanham Act, which bars trademarks that may disparage or bring people into “contempt or disrepute.”

In a statement, the Justice Department said it is allowed to intervene in any “federal action in which the constitutionality of an act of Congress is drawn into question.”

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to defending the constitutionality of the important statute ensuring that trademark issues involving disparaging and derogatory language are dealt with fairly,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Joyce R. Branda. “I believe strongly in the rights of all Americans to celebrate and maintain their unique cultural heritage. Going forward, we will strive to maintain the ability of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to make its own judgment on these matters, based on clear authorities established by law.”

From the perspective that most Americans sit, this is a humongous waste of time and resources. Just imagine if all the effort being used in this fight on both sides was being centered towards actual problems that Native Americans face on a daily basis.