Based on corporate and trademark filings reviewed by Gerben IP, it appears as though Tiger Woods and TaylorMade have been secretly working on a new deal since early 2023. In 2023, Woods was still a Nike-endorsed athlete. The end of their 27-year partnership would not be officially confirmed until January 8, 2024. In this article, we’ll take a look at […]
The XFL has filed 22 new trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to protect: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE UFL The applications, which were filed on October 10, 2023, cover a wide variety of goods and services, indicating that “UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE” could be the name of the merged USFL and XFL leagues. All applications for the two […]
Are Erin Andrews and Deion Sanders going into business together? A recent trademark filing indicates this is happening. On October 5, a joint filing was made by WEAR APPAREL, LLC (Erin Andrews’ company) and PRIME TIME ENTERPRISES, INC. (Deion Sanders’ company) for this logo: The trademark filing indicates that these two companies have plans to use this logo for a […]
Tom Brady has filed a Notice of Opposition to block the registration of a “B2” logo that he believes is too similar to his registered “TB12” trademark. The legal proceeding instituted by Brady blocks the application for the “B2” logo. If the owner of the logo decides to defend the action, the case could take two or more years to […]
On November 14, 2022, Odell Beckham, Jr. (OBJ) filed a lawsuit against Nike for Breach of Contract, among other things. A more in-depth breakdown of this lawsuit is in the works but we wanted to give you a chance to read the Complaint yourself. Read the complaint
Recent trademark filings made by Lamar Jackson (the star quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens) provide a great lesson in how to select unique trademarks. On May 13, 2022, Jackson filed two trademarks for a new restaurant that he plans to open. The first filing is for the name of his restaurant: “PLAY ACTION” The second filing is for the restaurant’s slogan: “YOU […]
One of the most talked about sports topic these days is surrounding the upcoming reveal of Washington Football Team’s new name in early February. While everyone speculates as to what the new name will be, what we can agree on is that it’s likely that the team has already filed a trademark application for its new name. The question is where […]
On July 23, 2021, the Cleveland Indians announced that the team is changing its name to the Cleveland Guardians. Not long after the announcement, speculation grew surrounding how a roller derby team called the Cleveland Guardians might have a potential trademark infringement claim As I told Yahoo!Sports, there is zero chance that Cleveland’s baseball team did not address this issue before […]
The Milwaukee Bucks Inc., 2021 NBA Champions, recently filed trademark applications for “BUCKS IN 6” and “BUCKS IN SIX.” Not surprising since they won their second NBA title in the team’s history in Game 6 on July 20, 2021. What is surprising about this filing is that it occurred a little over 24 hours before the game started – at 8:23 […]
For years, the debate surrounding college athletes’ monetization of their NIL–a commonly used acronym that represents name, image, and likeness–has prevented student athletes from capitalizing upon their on-field success and profiting from their collegiate athletic careers. Numerous states including California, New Jersey, and Florida have now passed legislation to provide college athletes with the right to profit from their name, […]
Last year, the WNBA filed a trademark application for “WUBBLE.” This was the WNBA’s version of the “Bubble” for the WBNA’s season in 2020. While the WNBA’s application was approved by the USPTO for registration, in January 2021 and the makers of the WUBBBLE Ball subsequently filed an “extension of time to oppose” the application. This is typically the first […]
The NCAA has filed a Petition for Cancellation against the trademark owned by a Virginia Urology practice for “VASECTOMY MAYHEM.” The registration was issued in September 2020 for vasectomy services. Now, what does the NCAA have to do with vasectomies? According to the cancellation petition, the NCAA alleged Virginia Urology started off by using “Vasectomy Madness” to promote its services […]