As Washington prepares to change its name, it may have to deal with a man named Martin McCaulay.
In recent weeks, McCaulay has squatted on several potential names for the team, via applications filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It’s not a new hobby for McCaulay; back in 2015, FOX5 highlighted McCaulay’s effort to get ahead of the curve.
“I can really see into the future on this issue,” McCaulay told FOX5 at the time. “Now when I look into the future, I see no change for ten years, and then in ten years, I see the name changing to the Washington Warriors. And if not the Warriors, then the Americans.”
McCaulay’s vision was a bit cloudy. Only five years after predicting no change in the next 10, the name is changing.
As of the posting of the FOX5 story in May 2015, McCaulay 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 Sunday search conducted by PFT of the USPTO’s public trademark database revealed that Phillip Martin McCaulay (it would be one hell of a coincidence if it wasn’t the same guy) 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).
Other related trademarks applications have been filed in recent weeks by Richard Garrison of Los Angeles (Washington Braves, July 5); David Woods of Alexandria, Virginia (Washington Freedom Fighters, July 5), F1rst World Apparel of Santa Clarita, California (Washington War Hogs, July 5), Raymond Luchi of Santa Rosa, California (Washington Radskins, July 4), and David Howard of Rockville Centre, New York (Washington Potomacs, July 3).
Baseball’s Washington Nationals claimed the name “Washington Senators” in 2008, per the USPTO database. Before the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, the Washington Senators relocated to Texas and became the Rangers in 1972.
Washington owner Daniel Snyder previously had claimed the rights to “Washington Warriors.” The Washington Times recently reported that the team previously has abandoned that trademark.
The USPTO database shows that McCaulay filed an application for trademark protection of the Warriors name in July 2015.
The name Windtalkers/Wind Talkers and Codetalkers/Code Talkers currently are available. Those names would honor the Native Americans who worked in the Pacific theater during World War II to transmit messages that Japanese forces could not decode. In recent days, however, reports have emerged suggesting that the new name will have no connection to Native Americans.
Likewise, neither Red Wolves nor Redwolves have been claimed. In recent days, it has emerged as a viable option for the team’s new name. Likewise, Presidents currently isn’t claimed.
So, basically, it’s time for Martin McCaulay to get back to work.