U.S. Government Files Trademark for ‘GOLDEN DOME’ Missile Defense Program
The United States government has filed a trademark application for ‘GOLDEN DOME,’ seeking to formally protect the name of President Trump’s new missile defense initiative.
The Missile Defense Agency submitted the application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on May 2. According to the filing, ‘GOLDEN DOME’ will be a defense system designed to protect the United States against “ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks.”
The trademark application outlines a defense system made up of six elements:
- a hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor network
- terrestrial and maritime sensors
- a custody element (likely related to threat tracking and continuity)
- a missile system for intercepting threats
- a kinetic disruption element (likely referring to a physical interceptor to hit incoming missiles)
- and a command and control structure tying it all together.
While the name ‘GOLDEN DOME’ is a nod to Trump’s affinity for gold (if you ever visited Atlantic City during his Casino’s heyday, they were heavily outfitted in gold everything), its rollout is poised to become one of the most ambitious defense undertakings in decades.
Timing tied to Trump Administration defense announcement
The trademark filing was made just 18 days ahead of a major announcement from President Trump. On May 20, he revealed his selection of the design for a $175 billion missile shield intended to protect the U.S. from evolving threats posed by China and Russia. The president stated that he expects the shield to be operational before the end of his second term, in 2029.
The ‘GOLDEN DOME’ trademark filing was made on an “intent-to-use” basis, meaning the government has formally stated under oath that it plans to use this name in connection with the future missile defense system. The filing was submitted by a government attorney on behalf of the Missile Defense Agency.
A few bumps ahead for the filing
Interestingly, the trademark application may face some procedural hurdles at the USPTO. It appears to include a description of the missile defense shield that does not conform to USPTO rules.
The USPTO requires any trademark applicant to describe the goods and/or services it intends to offer in the application. This is because filing for a trademark does not grant the applicant unlimited rights to any given name. In other words, one company can own “DELTA” for a brand of faucets, while another company can also own “DELTA” for the name of an airline.
In the ‘GOLDEN DOME’ application, the government used language that reads more like a patent application than language that would be acceptable in a trademark application. Because the language does not meet the USPTO’s standards for trademark applications, the application will likely be initially refused.
If this refusal is issued, the Missile Defense Agency will have a chance to revise the application, but it will slow down the path to registration.
An excerpt from US Missile Defense Agency’s trademark application:
The bottom line
The U.S. government appears ready to launch one of its most expensive and ambitious homeland defense programs in history — and with a President who has always been about branding, they’ve already taken the first step to secure the name.
Josh Gerben, Esq.
Josh Gerben, Esq. is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and the founder of Gerben IP. Since launching the firm in 2008, he has overseen the registration of over 10,000 trademarks and handled over 1,500 trademark disputes. Josh's practice focuses on building and defending global trademark portfolios for clients. These clients include entrepreneurs, private equity-backed businesses, athletes, celebrities, and public companies. Frequently quoted by major media outlets like CNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Josh is widely regarded as a leading authority in trademark law.
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