Opinion

Patent-ly offensive

It’s looking as though there’s no federal agency that hasn’t been politicized.

Start with the IRS, which targeted conservatives for special scrutiny — and now says it’s lost all the e-mails from the woman who presided over it.

At the same time, we learn the US Patent and Trademark Office has removed six trademarks from the Washington Redskins, on the grounds the name is disparaging to Native Americans.

It’s a move worthy of the Third World. For the Patent Office’s action comes after 50 senators — all Democrats — wrote a letter demanding the team change its name.

Good to know that while al Qaeda is on the move in Iraq and our economy stutters, our senators have their priorities.

It isn’t the first time around, either. Fifteen years ago, the Redskins won a reversal after a similar ruling from the Patent Office.

So there’s a good chance they might win this one in the courts. In fact, Redskins trademark attorney Bob Raskopf said in a statement, “We’ve seen this story before,” adding that the Redksins “are confident we will prevail again.”

Despite polls suggesting Native Americans at large either don’t find the name “Redskins” offensive or don’t care, the patent decision suggests key parts of laws designed to protect intellectual property — trademarks, copyrights, etc. — are now vulnerable to partisan undermining.

If a precedent is set, what would stop the politically correct targeting of trademarks of teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians — or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, for that matter — merely because someone, somewhere takes offense?