Steve Luciano/Associated Press
The National Football League filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week in an effort to obtain exclusive rights to the Duluth Eskimos, a defunct franchise that operated during the 1926 and 1927 seasons.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben provided analysis of the filing, though he later noted the NFL released a statement noting no team will use the name during the 2019 campaign as he initially suggested:
Josh Gerben @JoshGerben
The NFL has filed a trademark application for DULUTH ESKIMOS.
The trademark application suggests that a NFL team could play a game as the DULUTH ESKIMOS this coming year.
Here is my analysis of the filing
#nfl https://t.co/67jHP6nlME
Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reported itâs part of a larger effort to secure rights to former franchises as part of the leagueâs 100th-anniversary celebration.
The NFL could face resistance in its Duluth efforts because the Canadian Football Leagueâs Edmonton Eskimos already have a trademark for the term Eskimos, per Smith.
After three years operating as the Duluth Kelleys (1923-25), the organization changed its name to the Eskimos ahead of the 1926 season. It went 7-13-3 in two years using that moniker.
In 2016, David Sandager of The Growler noted the Eskimos used a âdistinctive white and midnight blue uniform featuring an igloo on the front as their logo, one of the first NFL teams to use a logo, as an homage to their northern home city.â
If the trademark is acquired, an NFL spokesperson told Paul Lukas of UniWatch there are âsome plans for promotional and content opportunitiesâ using the logo.
from Viral News Updates http://bit.ly/2vxHWmU
0 Comments