Army claims team can’t trademark ‘Golden Knights’
The U.S. Army has filed a challenge opposing the application of the NHL’s newest franchise to register the trademark “Vegas Golden Knights.”
In a claim filed Wednesday with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in suburban Washington, the Army claims it will be damaged by registration of the marque and says it has acquired exclusive rights to it that predate any rights claimed by the NHL team.
The Army says it has used the Golden Knights nickname since the late 1960s for its parachute team, public relations and recruiting, and claims it owns “common law rights” for the color schemes that combine black and gold and yellow and white.
The challenge by the U.S. Army was first reported by Sportslogos.net.
The filing also says the NHL team’s choice of black-and-gold and yellow-and-white color schemes for its uniforms, advertising and marketing adds “to the likelihood of confusion of the public” because the same colors are used on the uniforms worn by West Point’s hockey team and the paint scheme on the building where it plays its home games, Tate Rink.
The action by the Army is not associated with West Point. Vegas owner Bill Foley is a graduate of the academy and a significant donor.
“We strongly dispute the Army’s allegations that confusion is likely between the Army Golden Knights parachute team and the Vegas Golden Knights major-league hockey team,” the team said in a statement. “Indeed, the two entities have been coexisting without any issues for over a year (along with several other Golden Knights trademark owners) and we are not aware of a single complaint from anyone attending our games that they were expecting to see the parachute team and not a professional hockey game.”
The NHL expansion franchise introduced its name and logos in November 2016, and the Army first expressed its opposition in September.
The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., which trademarked “Golden Knights” in 2004, also is opposed to the filing, according to Sportslogos.net. New owner takes control: Dallas billionaire Tom Dundon has taken over as the majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. Team officials said the sale closed Thursday, about two months after Dundon signed a purchase agreement to buy a majority stake in the franchise from longtime owner Peter Karmanos Jr., who will retain a minority ownership interest in the club he moved from Hartford, Conn., to North Carolina in 1997.
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Flames 5, Lightning 1: Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist, Mike Smith made 33 saves, and visiting Calgary beat NHL-leading Tampa Bay for its fifth straight victory. The Flames’ Micheal Ferland, Sam Bennett, Mark Jankowski and Matthew Tkachuk also scored. Brayden Point scored for Tampa Bay.
Hurricanes 3, Capitals 1: Victor Rask broke a tie on a delayed penalty with 9:06 left as Carolina snapped Washington’s 10-game home winning streak.
Sabres 3, Blue Jackets 1: Kyle Okposo had a goal and assist as host Buffalo snapped a five-game skid with a win over Columbus. Benoit Pouliot and Jack Eichel also scored for the Sabres. Linus Ullmark stopped 44 shots in his first game this season.