Utah Mammoth in Legal Dispute Over Trademark
SALT LAKE CITY – The owners of the NHL team, the Utah Mammoth, have filed a lawsuit against a hockey equipment bag manufacturer. The legal action is due to a dispute related to the use of the registered trademark. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Utah, indicates that the Mammoth and Mammoth Hockey LLC have failed to resolve the conflict over the brand.The team announced its new name and logo in May, after its first season in Utah. During its first season, after moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City, the team was called the Utah Hockey Club. Mammoth Hockey, based in Oregon, issued a cease and desist letter shortly after the new franchise name was unveiled. They alleged that potential customers could confuse the two brands and that fans of rival teams would not buy their products. Both the team and the company have mammoth-shaped logos and are associated with “Mammoth” and “hockey,” according to the letter. Mammoth Hockey was founded in 2014 and manufactures large equipment bags for hockey players.“The Utah Mammoth and the NHL firmly believe that we have the right to use the name Utah Mammoth under federal and state law, and that our use will not harm the defendant or its business in any way,” stated Smith Entertainment Group officials. “We have taken this step only after careful consideration based on the defendant’s position.”
Smith Entertainment Group
“Mammoth Hockey intends to vigorously defend the recently initiated litigation against it by the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League and protect its long-standing trademark used in connection with hockey products it has manufactured and sold for the past 10 years,” said Erik Olson, co-founder of Mammoth Hockey, in a statement.
Erik Olson, co-founder of Mammoth Hockey
