“We’ve seen this story before,” he said. “And just like last time, today’s ruling will have no effect at all on the team’s ownership of and right to use the Redskins name and logo. We are confident we will prevail once again, and that the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s divided ruling will be overturned on appeal.”

If the decision is upheld on appeal, a process that could take years, the financial impact on the team is unlikely to be overwhelming. The team could continue to use its name, and the Redskins could try to stop third parties from using it by citing common-law rights that are based on use, not registration. The Redskins franchise has used the name since the 1930s.

Federal customs officials, though, would not be obligated to confiscate Redskins merchandise that entered the country, which could lead to more counterfeit gear on the market. If sales of that merchandise grew at the expense of jerseys, hats and shirts made by authorized vendors like Nike, then all N.F.L. teams except the Dallas Cowboys, who have their own merchandising deal, could suffer because they share most of their revenue.

Now that the federal government has spoken on the issue, the larger battle will be fought in the court of public opinion. Jane Shay Wald, chairwoman of the trademark practice group of the law firm Irell & Manella in Los Angeles, said that about a half-dozen trademark registrations were denied or canceled annually because, as in the Redskins case, they were found to be disparaging or otherwise objectionable.

Outside of the courts, Native American groups have successfully persuaded hundreds of high schools and colleges, including Syracuse, Miami of Ohio and St. John’s, to change their team names over the years by appealing to alumni, students and benefactors.