In keeping with its "snatched from the headline" plot twists, irreverent cable staple South Park is taking on the Washington Redskins and owner Dan Snyder in its Sept 24. episode, "Go Fund Yourself."
The team is under pressure in Washington to change its name, which some American Indian groups argue is an offensive, dictionary-defined racial slur.
In the episode, the South Park crew uses kickstarter to fund a new company they decide to call The Washington Redskins. When an animated Dan Snyder claims its use is disparaging, the boys point out the team's federal trademark protection has been cancelled.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in June ruled that “Redskins” is disparaging to Native Americans, and has cancelled the federal protections for associated trademarks. The team is appealing the decision, which came in response to a challenge by Native American groups in Blackhorse v. Pro Football, Inc.
The decision does not mean that the football team has to change its name or stop using the trademarks at issue. But it does mean that it loses the legal presumption of ownership, the ability to use the registration symbol, or to be able to get the Customs and Border Patrol service to block importation of counterfeit goods into the country.
A promo for the Comedy Central show ran during Sunday's game between Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles in the D.C. market.
