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NFL’s Washington Football Club have retired the Redskins name, and now seek out a new one. Trademark issues have reportedly slowed the process. Martin McCaulay may be the answer to those issues.
Martin has been a fan of the team for years, and became part of the name change 6 years ago, when he applied for the trademark for the Washington Pigskins. The NFL noticed, but allowed him to continue. Recently, though, he has secured ownership of several more trademarks, all of which could potentially be new names for the team. Some have accused Mr. McCaulay of being a trademark squatter; someone who buys up names, with the sole intention of being paid by someone for their use.
Martin has sworn this is not the case. And since then, he’s hired attorney Darren Heitner. Heitner’s first action was to send a letter to franchise owner Daniel Snyder that states his intentions. He only wants to be a conduit, to make it easier for the team to change name.
PigskinNut had him on their Live Facebook show Thursday night, as Martin explained how he got into trademarks, and why this name change was important to him. “It started as a hobby,” he says, “I started as a joke, and got the Washington Pigskins trademark to make coffee mugs and sell them online. The NFL Trademark lawyers noticed, and sent me a letter explaining they saw what I was doing, but they would allow it.”
The hobby spread from there. He would start with joke names like the Pandas, but eventually, changing the name from the Redskins became sort of a passion for him. In his trademark collecting hobby, he realized the process in which the team would need to take in case they did ever change their name, and in 2015, Martin set out to acquire them himself.
McCauley decided that any money invested in the venture was worth it. He would go through the trouble, hold on to them, and if the time ever came, he would allow the team to simply have them. Even going as far as sending the NFL’s trademark office emails stating his intention. But no one responded.
Now, with 44 total trademarks (10 team names), including marks for the most popular names that have been proposed like the Washington Warriors, and the Washington RedTails, McCauley has everything the team would need for a smooth shift. But even with all of that, the organization may not be interested in playing ball with him.
Still set on not getting in the way, the letter to owner Daniel Snyder explains everything he wants. To simply allow the team to take ownership of the trademarks, as to save themselves the seven month process and court fees it takes to acquire one.
No name has been announced yet. But when one is, you can bet the Trademark Hog himself will be right there, ready to simplify the process.
Release ID: 88968964