SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court has ruled the name "Dykes on Bikes" is inoffensive and a legitimate trademark.

The Dykes on Bikes motorcycle club traditionally leads San Francisco's annual gay pride parade.

The group has spent years sparring with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in hopes of protecting the phrase. The office has twice rejected the group's application, saying that "dyke" is a vulgar term. The club finally won a trademark two years ago.

A California lawyer sued after the patent office granted approval for the trademark. He said the name was "disparaging to men" and "scandalous and immoral."

But a federal appeals court tossed out the lawsuit earlier this week.

According to the group's Web site, Dykes on Bikes gathered at the head of the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade for the first time in 1976.

There were only 20 to 25 members in the group at that time, the Web site said.