NFL Files to Trademark Former Franchise the Duluth Eskimos

The National Football League filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week in an effort to obtain exclusive rights to the Duluth Eskimos, a defunct franchise that operated during the 1926 and 1927 seasons. 

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben provided analysis of the filing, though he later noted the NFL released a statement noting no team will use the name during the 2019 campaign as he initially suggested:

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reported it's part of a larger effort to secure rights to former franchises as part of the league's 100th-anniversary celebration.

The NFL could face resistance in its Duluth efforts because the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos already have a trademark for the term Eskimos, per Smith.

After three years operating as the Duluth Kelleys (1923-25), the organization changed its name to the Eskimos ahead of the 1926 season. It went 7-13-3 in two years using that moniker.

In 2016, David Sandager of The Growler noted the Eskimos used a "distinctive white and midnight blue uniform featuring an igloo on the front as their logo, one of the first NFL teams to use a logo, as an homage to their northern home city."

If the trademark is acquired, an NFL spokesperson told Paul Lukas of UniWatch there are "some plans for promotional and content opportunities" using the logo.