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 legal action seeks to resolve a dispute related to the trademark of the name. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Utah, indicates that the Utah Mammoth and Mammoth Hockey LLC have failed to reach an agreement in the trademark dispute.The team announced its new name and logo in May, following its first season in Utah. During its inaugural season in Salt Lake City, after relocating from Arizona, the team used the name Utah Hockey Club. Following the presentation of the new franchise name, Mammoth Hockey, based in Oregon, issued a cease and desist letter. They argued 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 logos in the shape of a mammoth, 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.“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.
Erik Olson, co-founder of Mammoth Hockey
