He stockpiled Washington NFL trademarks for years. Now he faces backlash online. – The Washington Post

” Speculate on prior intentions all you want … now I just desire this albatross around my neck gone,” McCaulay composed on Twitter this week.

” Hes not looking to be a thorn in the side of the Washington NFL organization,” Heitner stated of McCaulay. “He will do whatever is necessary to step aside and offer the team with whatever rights it requires, if its interested in any of the names hes looked for or signed up.”.
Last week McCaulay submitted a trademark application for “Washington Red Wolves,” a popular option on social networks, but that name is currently subject to multiple claims. Arkansas State University, whose athletic teams are called “Red Wolves,” is battling the Chattanooga Red Wolves pro soccer group in court over the trademark. A lawyer for Arkansas State informed The Post today the school system has not been contacted by anybody from the Redskins company or the NFL.
Trademark attorneys have actually stated any registered or pending trademarked team names would be ripe for difficulty. Hallmark holders should have the ability to show that they have been using the name in a legitimate industrial manner. While McCaulay has actually sold merchandise including a few of his team names online, he acknowledged in a tweet that his trademarks would be “useless to me since selling 10 t-shirts in 6 years is a weak defense.”.
” This is an expensive hobby for him,” Heitner stated. “Hes not planning to be a giant. Hes not planning to trigger damage to the company. And to the degree the company desires to use any of the names hes looked for, he wishes to open the door to those interactions.”.

McCaulay maintained a legal representative Wednesday, who is preparing to send a letter to team owner Daniel Snyder providing “to open the door to conversations so that, if the franchise is at all worried about Mr. McCaulays trademark registrations or pending applications, the group knows that there is absolutely nothing to fear.”
McCaulay “has no intent to stand in the way of the Washington NFL group,” states the letter, signed by Florida lawyer Darren Heitner.
” Mr. McCaulay will happily do whatever remains in his power to clear a path for the Washington NFL team to rebrand itself without the requirement to sustain substantial legal charges,” Heitner wrote.

They still do not exist, however in the days because Washingtons NFL group announced it was deserting the questionable Redskins name and individuals familiar with the circumstance said hallmark concerns were holding up the unveiling of a brand-new one, McCaulay, a 61-year old actuary from Alexandria, has dealt with a reaction of online abuse. He has spoken with fellow fans who fear hes blocking the group from embracing a new name or are upset somebody might be seeking to benefit off the controversy.
Someone compared him to “Costco toilet tissue hoarders during the pandemic.” Another said he ought to be banned from the teams games, and another provided to punch him. He was called a jerk, an useless troll, a gold digger, a self-serving liberal and a range of expletives.

” Theres a lot speculation relating to the name change that its caused people to look into others whove filed hallmark applications. Mr. McCaulay has actually been really singled out,” Heitner stated in a telephone interview Wednesday. “Accusations and threats have been made towards him.”
In a 2015 interview with The Washington Post, McCaulay stated he had spent more than $20,000 on trademarks applications and considered it a “high-risk financial investment.” He said this week, however, that if the group wishes to pursue a name he has actually claimed, he would be prepared to hand it over at no cost. (Though in another tweet Tuesday, McCaulay stated his offer to the NFL had remained for 10 days with no action and he would now “amuse any deal they wish to make.”).
” I desire them to alter the name and am ashamed if I did anything that slows that down,” he tweeted this week. “I believed if I hoarded all the reputations that would keep someone else who may be a headache from getting them.”.

He said this week, however, that if the group wants to pursue a name he has actually laid claim to, he would be ready to hand it over at no expense. The group hasnt sought any brand-new hallmarks under its corporate name as of July 10, the most recent date available in the U.S. Patent and Trademark online database.

Still, its unclear Snyder longs for any of McCaulays hallmarks, and neither the group nor the league has connected to him to go over any of the names. Heitners letter to Snyder, which will be sent out to the teams Ashburn head office this week, notes that McCaulay has actually registered hallmarks for Red-Tailed Hawks, Americans and Washington Football Club and pending applications for Red Wolves, Redtails, Monuments, Veterans, Renegades and Warriors.

Arkansas State University, whose athletic teams are called “Red Wolves,” is battling the Chattanooga Red Wolves pro soccer team in court over the trademark. Hallmark attorneys have actually said any registered or pending trademarked team names would be ripe for challenge. While McCaulay has sold product including some of his team names online, he acknowledged in a tweet that his hallmarks would be “worthless to me because selling 10 t-shirts in 6 years is a weak defense.”.

The Washington organization has actually offered no hints as to which names it has actually zeroed in on. The names widely discussed by fans in recent weeks– Warriors, Red Wolves and Red Tails, among them– have actually either been trademarked or have pending applications. The team hasnt sought any brand-new hallmarks under its corporate name as of July 10, the most current date available in the U.S. Patent and Trademark online database.