Reuters Quotes Josh Gerben on the Refusal of the ‘Las Vegas Athletics’ Trademark

The USPTO recently refused the Athletics’ trademark applications for ‘Las Vegas Athletics’ and ‘Vegas Athletics.’

Reuters quoted trademark attorney Josh Gerben’s analysis of the refusal. 

The refusals, which were issued on December 29, declared that the term “athletics” is a way to describe everyday activity and is too generic to be owned by a single entity. However, the MLB team already owns multiple trademarks for Athletics, with and without a city name attached to it.

According to Josh Gerben, the main issue is because the team have not yet played in Las Vegas, even though its stadium is currently under construction.

Source: Reuters Staff. https://www.reuters.com. “Report: Trademark application denied for ‘Las Vegas Athletics’”. 6 January 2026.