Appeals Court Strikes DOWN Trademark Ban on OFFENSIVE NAMES..like REDSKINS

 A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday struck down a provision of a federal law that barred the registration of offensive trademarks because it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., vacates the refusal by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register the name of the Asian-American rock band, The Slants. It could also affect the decision by the agency to cancel the trademarks of the National Football League's Washington Redskins.

Tuesday's ruling that the law is unconstitutional now sends the case back to the Patent and Trademark Office for further proceedings.

Interest in the case is high because the more high-profile Redskins case is also currently on appeal at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.