The decision to change the nickname of Washington’s NFL team will be announced Monday. There is a hiccup in the announcement of the next monker, though. Dan Snyder could be facing the challenge to toppling a trademark squatter.
Martin McCaulay says he has a crystal ball.
“I can really see into the future on this issue,” McCaulay, who is now a 61-year-old actuary living in Alexandria, VA, told FOX5 in 2015. “Now when I look into the future, I see no change for 10 years, and then in 10 years, I see the name changing to the Washington Warriors. And if not the Warriors, then the Americans.”
Five years ago he had registered for trademark protection on the following Washington-based names: Americans, Bravehearts, Federals, Forces, Founders, Gladiators, Monuments, Natives, Pandas, Pigskins, Red-Tailed Hawks, Renegades, Sharks, Veterans, and Tribe. McCaulay told FOX5 that he had spent $20,000 to secure the various trademarks.
“A squatter reserves a name with no intention to use it,” McCaulay told Richmond.com. “I went to the extreme of buying a lot of merchandise, making it my brand, and selling it.”
He has a website, WashingtonAmericansFootball.com, where people can order merchandise for several of his teams — the Washington Founders, Monuments, Pandas, Veterans, Warriors and Red-Tailed Hawks.
He’s been busy since the team announced it was going to conduct a
“thorough review” of its nickname July 3.
McCaulay has started to file for more Washington based team names.McCaulay has recently filed applications for the following trademarks: Washington Redtails (July 7 and July 5), Washington Monuments (July 6), Washington Veterans (July 6), Washington Renegades (July 6), Washington Red-Tailed Hawks (July 4), and Washington Americans (June 18).
The Washington Warriors name seemed to either slip through Snyder’s mind or hands.
Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder, through a holding company, abandoned his pursuit of obtaining a trademark for the term “Warriors” in 2019 and ultimately lost the chance for registering the mark earlier this year — a move that could complicate the team’s potential rebrand as officials conduct a review of its name.
Snyder had an opportunity to trademark “Warriors” last year, after the reopening of a 2007 case in which he filed to own the moniker. But did not respond to the trademark office, answer an opposition claim or file an appeal when the judgment was issued against his holding company, Washington Football Inc.
McCaulay told Richmond.com he sent a letter to the NFL last week offering his trademarks for free if it sped up the process of renaming.
“I don’t want to be the one who is an obstacle,” he said, noting that he’s become aware of how the Redskins name could be offensive to members of the Native American community.
However, he said he failed to receive a response and that offer is now off the table.