Intellectual Property Law

New Trademark Filings Suggest New Team Won't Be Called "Supersonics"

By Michael Atkins

Forget the Oklahoma City Supersonics, thank goodness. The team’s new owners abandoned their intent-to-use applications for those trademarks less than one week after filing them. (Previous STL discussion here.)

What now appears to be in play is the Oklahoma City Barons, Bison, Energy, Marshalls, Thunder and Wind. Those are the new intent-to-use applications the NBA Development League, LLC, filed with the Patent and Trademark Office on July 21.There are five applications filed for each mark.

As the Seattle Times noted, no applications appear to exist for OKLAHOMA CITY OUTLAWS, TUMBLEWEEDS, RUSTLERS, STEALERS, CARPETBAGGERS or CRIMINALS.

Still wondering why the team’s new owners had to throw a scare into us by filing intent-to-use applications for OKLAHOMA CITY SUPERSONICS when they appeared to be contractually prohibited from having a bona fide intent to use marks containing the word “Supersonics” in connection with their team.

All of the new names seem weak to me, but at least they don’t trade on the legacy the team left behind in Seattle.

Full post as published by Seattle Trademark Lawyer on July 27, 2008 (boomark / email).