Showing posts with label potential consumer confusion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potential consumer confusion. Show all posts

Monday, February 23, 2026

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce sued for trademark infringement; ESPN, February 20, 2026


Michael Rothstein , ESPN; Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce sued for trademark infringement

"A sneaker company is suing Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, along with their restaurant partners, alleging trademark infringement. The complaint centers on their use of the numbers specific to 1587 Prime, the name of their restaurant in Kansas City, according to court records.

Mahomes and Kelce, along with business partner Noble 33, opened their steakhouse last year, combining Mahomes' and Kelce's jersey numbers to give it the name. The sneaker company 1587 Sneakers alleges in the suit that the restaurant name infringes its usage of the identical number combination...

The 1587 Prime trademark is in the bar and restaurant category. The sneaker company's 1587 trademark application is in a clothing category.

"I think it's a tough case for the sneaker company," Gerben said. "Trademarks can coexist in different industries. ... Given that the marks are essentially identical here, is a restaurant and a shoe company too close? Are consumers likely to be confused in thinking they are affiliated with one another?""

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Utah Hockey Club scraps permanent Yeti nickname due to copyright dispute with cooler company; Yahoo Sports, January 29, 2025

 Jack Baer, Yahoo Sports; Utah Hockey Club scraps permanent Yeti nickname due to copyright dispute with cooler company

"The Utah Hockey Club is moving on from a nickname many believed would eventually become its permanent moniker, the Utah Yeti. The primary reason why: a cooler brand.

Mike Maughan, an executive of the team's parent company Smith Entertainment Group, confirmed to reporters Wednesday, per ESPN, that the team would pivot to a different selection of possible names after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected the Yeti name and logo it submitted for approval.

The USPTO specifically cited a "likelihood of confusion" for consumers due to other companies and brands with a similar name, most notably the Yeti Cooler Company. Different companies can feature a similar name if they're in clearly different fields (e.g. the Beatles' Apple Corps and Apple Computers), but it seems likely an NHL team with the same name would clash with certain products, such as the cooler company's apparel line."