For the second time, the Athletics MLB franchise has been denied the \u201cLas Vegas Athletics\u201d and \u201cVegas Athletics\u201d trademarks by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.<\/p>\n
In a document released on Dec. 29, the governing body ruled that the Athletics do not have the necessary \u201cacquired distinctiveness\u201d to earn the trademarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cATHLETICS means activities such as sports, exercises and games that require physical skill and stamina \u2026 therefore the prior registration do not support applicant\u2019s claim of acquired distinctiveness and the claim is not accepted,\u201d the court document reads.<\/p>\n
The USPTO argues \u201cathletics\u201d is an overarching term that is too broad to be trademarked. In trademark law, a description of what service the team provides and its geographic location is not sufficient. While the name refers to a professional team in Las Vegas, the USPTO argues there are too many other possible uses. In theory, others may need to use \u201cLas Vegas\u201d and athletics to describe their business.<\/p>\n
However, this isn\u2019t an argument that other professional franchises have typically had to combat. An ordinary procedure for most professional teams has become quite the ordeal for Athletics\u2019 management. The USPTO\u2019s dismissal is a rare rebuke of team trademark efforts.<\/p>\n
An obstacle to the trademark approval is the lack of a strong geographical connection between Las Vegas and the MLB franchise currently. A\u2019s management has not begun marketing the franchise as the Las Vegas Athletics. Without the proper evidence of the team\u2019s association with the Las Vegas name and its subsequent relevance, including the selling of merchandise, there is less for the government to work with.<\/p>\n
The USPTO rejected the Athletics\u2019 argument that they have already developed \u201cAthletics\u201d trademarks associated with multiple cities, including previous franchise homes in Kansas City and Philadelphia<\/a>. That argument was rejected, as the USPTO reiterated that every trademark proposal ought to be evaluated individually<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe marks in the prior registrations do not support applicant\u2019s claim of acquired distinctiveness because they are not the same marks,\u201d the case document reads.<\/p>\n Longstanding use of the \u201cAthletics\u201d brand in a multitude of cities did not satisfy the USPTO as justification for a trademark<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe applicant\u2019s burden of establishing acquired distinctiveness under Section 2(f) is commensurately high and requires more evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n It is highly likely that the \u201cLas Vegas Athletics\u201d or \u201cVegas Athletics\u201d trademarks will be accepted at some point. As the franchise builds its connection to Las Vegas over time, it will be able to garner the necessary evidence to receive USPTO approval. For now, however, the Athletics are in a pickle as they will struggle to fight other organizations profiting off the new team name.<\/p>\n Oakland A\u2019s fan group Last Dive Bar, long vocal about the team\u2019s controversial move out of the Bay Area, announced Tuesday they would be relaunching a \u201cLas Vegas Athletics\u201d T-shirt for purchase.<\/p>\n Here at Last Dive Bar, we support ATHLETICS. <\/p>\n ATHLETICS belong in all communities. <\/p>\n So we\u2019re relaunching a tee we did when we filed for the trademark BEFORE anyone else did. <\/p>\n \u2122\ufe0f \ud83d\udd17: https:\/\/t.co\/9noFYMGYDx<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GZDJTkCDDJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Last Dive Bar \ud83c\udfdf (@LastDiveBar) January 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The group applied for the \u201cLas Vegas Athletics\u201d trademark back in March 2024 as a way to inconvenience A\u2019s owner John Fisher and the franchise.<\/p>\n \u201cAn application for the Las Vegas Athletics trademark is filed but apparently it was not by the team.\u201d <\/p>\n Lmfaoooooooooooooo \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/XU6RfGyPup<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Last Dive Bar \ud83c\udfdf (@LastDiveBar) January 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The A\u2019s are planning to relocate from their temporary home in Sacramento to Las Vegas in time for the 2028 MLB season.<\/p>\n