Army officially stepping in and opposing new NHL team
Whoever said imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery didn’t study trademark law.
Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net reports the U.S. Department of the Army isn’t flattered by the name of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and has filed a notice of opposition to the team’s trademark.
Two entities — the Army and the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York — both had trademark disputes filed on their behalf by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office more than a year ago. The USPTO believed the hockey team’s trademark was similar enough to that of the Saint Rose Golden Knights athletic teams and the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team that it could cause confusion among consumers.
Both entities were given deadlines to file formal opposition to the NHL team’s trademark, and both asked for extensions that expired Wednesday.
The Army met the deadline, while Saint Rose asked for another extension.
The Army opposes the NHL team’s trademark on three grounds of the Trademark Act: “priority and likelihood of confusion,” “dilution by blurring” and “false suggestion of a connection with persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols.”
The NHL team now has until Feb. 19 to decide if it wants to change its trademark, reach a financial settlement with the Army, or fight the case.
In August, the USPTO approved the hockey team’s use of Golden Knights “for identification and competition purposes.”
However, it did not grant the same approval for the team to protect its logo on its merchandise and sportswear. That request was suspended pending further appeal, but the team was able to produce merchandise with the logo pending further approval.
When the team unveiled its uniforms in June, General Manager George McPhee told The Washington Post that Golden Knights majority owner Bill Foley wanted black, gold and gray — the same colors Army’s teams use — to be part of the color scheme.
In a radio interview in November, McPhee said the decision to name the team the “Golden Knights” was a reference to the Army’s parachute team.
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There is a possibility the hockey team will have to change its name and logo. Creamer reports the hockey team still owns the rights to a “Sand Knights” trademark and has also sold some merchandise that carries just the “Vegas Knights” name below the team logo.
Creamer also reports the team previously let trademarks expire for “Silver Knights” and “Desert Knights.”
The NHL will likely handle any matters regarding the case on behalf of the team since the league owns all licensing rights to merchandise bearing logos of its teams.
In 1995, the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars changed their logo and helmet design after lawyers representing the makers of Jaguar automobiles said the team’s logo too closely resembled that of the car brand. The team agreed to redesign its logo in exchange for Jaguar agreeing to become the team’s official automobile sponsor.
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