The Washington Commanders may undergo yet another name change after going from Redskins to Football Team before adopting their current name.
The team is set for a new era, with the ownership changing hands before the start of the 2023 NFL season. But there might be a major novelty at some point as trademark attorney Josh Gerben is reporting that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the team’s trademark application for the “Commanders name.”
The application has been rejected because there is an existing trademark for “Commanders’ Classic” while there are pending applications made by a man in the D.C. area.
The Commanders’ Classic is a college football game that takes place between Army and Air Force every year. As it pertains to the second reason, Martin McCaulay filed for trademarks for “Washington Space Commanders” and “Washington Wolf Commanders” while he was trying to squat on the name.
Gerben notes the NFL team could fight the matter and can come to some deal that would see them use the name. Meanwhile, McCaulay has been saying for years that he’ll give up anything he has if the team wants it.
Gerben reckons Washington will be able to use the name eventually, but the new ownership group might actually not want to continue under the Commanders name. So we’ll just have to wait and see how this goes.
