Utah Mammoth in Legal Dispute Over Trademark
SALT LAKE CITY – The owners of the NHL team, Utah Mammoth, have filed a lawsuit against a hockey equipment bag manufacturer. The reason for the legal action is a dispute related to the registered trademark. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Utah, indicates that the team and Mammoth Hockey LLC have failed to reach an agreement in the trademark dispute.The team announced its new name and logo in May, after its first season in Utah. During its inaugural season, following its relocation from Arizona to Salt Lake City, the team used the name Utah Hockey Club. Mammoth Hockey, based in Oregon, issued a cease and desist letter shortly after the new franchise name was revealed, claiming 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-sized equipment bags for hockey players. “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,” stated Erik Olson, co-founder of Mammoth Hockey.“Utah Mammoth and the NHL are confident that they have the right to use the name Utah Mammoth under federal and state law, and that its use will not harm the defendant or its business in any way,” said representatives of Smith Entertainment Group. “We have taken this step only after careful consideration based on the defendant’s position.”
Smith Entertainment Group
