Representatives for the teams and the league didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n
Nuanced Distinctions<\/p>\n
If the WNBA used a \u201cThe W\u201d in a font that resembled any of the Nats\u2019 W logos or the block-text \u201cW\u201d the Cubs use to signify a win, the offended party could sue for infringement regardless of registration, said IP attorney Mark Sommers<\/a> of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner. <\/p>\n But otherwise, consumers are adept at understanding the context of different sports letters \u2014 the color, font, product, and other clues as to the referenced team.<\/p>\n The public discourse tends to fixate on the notion of a team or league trying to exclusively own a letter, Sommers said. <\/p>\n Nuanced distinctions in the scope of those registrations \u2014 like their substantial limits on the types of branded products, marketplaces, and contexts under which the mark owner could successfully block others\u2019 use of a letter \u2014 often get lost in the process, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to fathom as a member of the general public that somebody can actually have proprietary rights to a single letter. But that\u2019s only part of the analysis,\u201d Sommers said. \u201cThis is where attorneys spontaneously combust.\u201d<\/p>\n General atmosphere at WNBA Live at the Indiana Convention Center on July 17, 2025, in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n Photographer: Michael Hickey\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u2018Really Good Case\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThe WNBA has a really good case,\u201d said attorney Josh Gerben<\/a> of Gerben IP. The league\u2019s use of \u201cThe\u201d distinguishes the requested mark from the various other Ws, which should give it leverage, he said.<\/p>\n People also have colloquially referred to the WNBA as \u201cThe W\u201d in a number of contexts, and the organization filed its intent-to-use application more than a year before ESPN\u2019s docuseries \u201cLife in the W\u201d was released in July. <\/p>\n After the US Patent and Trademark Office examiner determined that no marks on the register inherently block the WNBA\u2019s application, the agency published the mark for opposition in February, the final step before registration. <\/p>\n If the WNBA simply sought a \u201cW\u201d word mark, the application \u201ccertainly would have been rejected\u201d by the examiner before reaching publication for opposition, Dogan said.<\/p>\n![\"General](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788177011_48_.jpeg\")
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