A's Fan Group Last Dive Bar Beats Team to 'Las Vegas Athletics' TM -

"Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the A's, who have had issues getting a ballpark going in their future home city, have been rebuffed in attempts to register "Las Vegas Athletics" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This is reportedly the second failed attempt to trademark the new name, something that initially bewildered experts. "The examiner is taking this very literally," trademark attorney Josh Gerben told FOS."

""The USPTO is basically saying, 'If we give the team unfettered rights, then any youth or amateur athletics association in Las Vegas could suddenly be in violation of the trademark.' It's a weird result." As it turns out, the A's were unable to register the trademark because someone else already filed for it. A's fan group Last Dive Bar were vehemently opposed to owner John Fisher moving the team out of their beloved Oakland, so they struck back in the best way possible."

The Oakland A's attempted to register the name "Las Vegas Athletics" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and were rebuffed in a second failed trademark attempt. The USPTO examiner raised concerns that granting broad rights could conflict with youth and amateur athletics associations in Las Vegas. The application was blocked because another party had already filed for the same trademark. A fan group called Last Dive Bar filed the application after opposing owner John Fisher's relocation of the team from Oakland and began selling related merchandise to support Athletics of all types. The team may need to purchase the trademark to secure the name.

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