Professional sports teams have a long history of deficiencies in their trademark filings and registrations. This was on full display when the Utah NHL franchise’s early flirtation with the name “Utah Yetis,” which created immediate conflicts with the well-established YETI outdoor goods company. While Cleveland rebranded from the Indians to Guardians, they ran into a trademark dispute. A men’s roller derby team in Cleveland had been using the name “Cleveland Guardians” and sel

Nike is defending its revived Total 90 soccer line against trademark infringement claims brought by a smaller company that obtained federal registration for the mark after Nike’s earlier registration lapsed. Central to the dispute is whether Nike’s longstanding but allegedly limited recent use of the mark preserves its common-law rights despite the lapse of its federal registration. The court denied the plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and, follow