Washington Redskins team hires Burson-Marsteller to calm trademark storm

National Football League team Washington Redskins has hired public relations (PR) firm Burson-Marsteller to help it ease criticism of its controversial name and trademarks.

The PR firm will run a website called Redskinsfacts, an effort to defend the team's contentious name after it was stripped of six trademarks containing the word Redskin by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The term is an offensive slang term for a Native American.

In a statement, Burson-Marsteller spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan said it had been “retained” by the Washington Redskins and the player alumni association to “provide technical and editorial support to distribute information to those who inquire about the team's history and name”.

This, Sullivan added, includes the website redskinsfacts.com.

The website’s home page says: “none of us believe in offending or discriminating against people of any ethnicity for any reason”.

In June, the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) cancelled six trademarks belonging to the team.

The club has indicated it will appeal against the decision, which, if upheld, could see it lose out on valuable merchandise revenue as it would be unable to enforce its rights.

Despite the criticism, the team has remained adamant that it should not be forced to change its name.

In a letter to supporters last year, owner Daniel Snyder wrote: “The name was never a label. It was, and continues to be, a badge of honour".

Burson-Marsteller’s previous clients have included pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and security firm Academi, formerly Blackwater.