Etsy Bans Sales of Redskins Products

Popular online homemade and vintage marketplace Etsy announced this week the company will ban sales of items bearing the Redskins logo and name, effective immediately.

“Like the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, we at Etsy find the opinion of the minority group itself to carry most weight in determining whether the mascot is disparaging,” the company said in a policy update posted on its blog. “In no uncertain terms, Native American groups have consistently advocated and litigated that the term ‘redskin(s)’ is disparaging and damaging to Native Americans. Therefore, it will no longer be permitted in our marketplace.

The policy update said that “sellers are welcome to continue selling items that contain the team colors and location, but items containing the name or the logo will no longer be allowed.”

Despite the announcement, hundreds of items bearing the Redskins name and logo still appear for sale on Etsy. As The Washington Post notes, many Redskins fans found problem with a number of non-Redskins items that Etsy has failed to delist, including swastika-emblazoned guitar picks and blackface dolls, among others.

While 71 percent of Americans favor letting the Washington Redskins keep its name, Etsy joins a growing number of companies banning references to the team’s name and logo.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revoked six of the team’s trademarks in June following backlash from Native American groups that found the team’s name “disparaging.”

Image: Etsy (Source: Facebook)