As part of their in-process move to Las Vegas, the A’s owners have been seeking to trademark the names “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Las Vegas A’s.” But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the federal agency in charge of issuing these rights, recently denied the A’s applications, according to media reports Monday.
The patent office determined on Dec. 29 that the names don’t have “acquired distinctiveness” and the terms are too broad and could be confused with other uses related to athletics businesses in the Las Vegas area. The patent office’s decision was a “non-final action,” meaning the A’s can continue to seek the naming rights, but it’ll be an uphill battle.
The Athletic, a New York Times sports media site, reported that the A’s face multiple other challenges.
“An obstacle to the trademark approval is the lack of a strong geographical connection between Las Vegas and the MLB franchise currently. A’s management has not begun marketing the franchise as the Las Vegas Athletics. Without the proper evidence of the team’s association with the Las Vegas name and its subsequent relevance, including the selling of merchandise, there is less for the government to work with.”
Meanwhile, an A’s fan group that opposed A’s owner John Fisher’s decision to move the team from Oakland, had submitted its own earlier application to the patent office for the naming rights to the “Las Vegas Athletics” — in 2024.
The group, The Last Dive Bar, a nod to the A’s former Oakland Coliseum ballfield, applied for the naming rights in 2024, the Athletic reported. On Jan. 6, the group posted on X that “athletics belong in all communities,” and said they plan on selling t-shirts with the Las Vegas Athletics name.
The Ballers, established by Oakland baseball fans bereft over the A’s departure, posted a brief comment on the controversy:
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