By james art 
The road of the Utah hockey club to the official name of the team became a little more difficult.
The Patent and Trademarks Service of the United States has rejected six of the names that the team filed under the requests for use to use in April. It should be noted that this list includes Yeti from Utah and Yeti, who are known as favorites to fans and organizations.
Where does Utah go from here on? How is the name announcement changed? Can the team still be Yetis?
In short, this is not the end of the road to the Yeti brand or any of the names that were rejected. Utah is three months from the date of the refusal to appeal the idea.
According to USPTO records, UTAH YETIS was rejected on January 9 because of the “probability of confusion” with other registered brands, namely the Yeti Cooler. The unforgettable claim states that the word “jute” over Yetis in the requested brand “is simply descriptive or common to the goods of the applicant” and the wording is not significant in terms of “affecting the brand’s trade impression” because Yetis is “more” The dominant element of the brand.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans applaud the hockey club of Utah and New York Rangers before the start of their match at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, January 16, 2025
Mammoth, Blizzard, Outlaws, Venom and HC were also rejected. Mammoth was denied in November; All other refusals came in January.
The rejection of the Mammoth brand was because the USPTO needed the team to clarify the wording “Hockey exhibitions”, according to the unconventional action. He asked to replace his purpose to use the brand with “clothing, namely shirts, T-shirts, T-shirts, sweatshirts” and a longer list of other goods. Outlaws had a similar technical error that needed explanation, but it was not difficult to get around.
If Utah still wants to chase the name Yeti, there are a few things he can do forward. Jonas Anderson – Professor of Patent Laws, Intellectual Property, Commercial Secrets, Civil Procedure and Property at the University of Utah – has helped to outline what that might look like.
The two ways to a decision, he said, are an appeal or a transaction with the Yeti cooling company.
“[Utah] They can answer as soon as they want, as soon as they can receive documents. But you don’t know how long it will take a USPTO, “Anderson said. “But it won’t take a year. It will probably take six months, nine months. So theoretically could appeal him and win on time for next season. ”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) People buy goods while the Utah hockey club hosts their first NHL draft party at Delta Center on Friday, June 284, 2024.
A strong call may include data from a study on whether people would be confused between the two brands, if both are trademarks, as well as interviews with potential users why they could distinguish market products. There is a chance of Utah to prepare for this type of reaction from the USPTO and have these types of documents ready to work.
“Usually, lawyers are not completely disappointed with these refusals. Especially when there are other companies in the space where you are trying to enter, ”Anderson said. “They would have had a pretty good case that no one would be confused by the T -shirts of Yeti Coolers and the T -shirts of the Yute Yetis Hockey Team. You can make the difference between the two. I think there is a pretty good chance of winning this appeal.
Alternatively, Utah can avoid confrontation with the USPTO and instead work for an agreement with Yeti coolers.
If the two companies agree that they can exist with the same brand in different and overlapping markets – or even cooperate – Utah can move on with the name. Both sides will submit a document to USPTO, which says there are no objections and that they can own separate trademarks on the name Yeti.
“This can simply include the agreement that Yeti coolers are not interested in if Yeti in Utah exists. Or could they introduce it as a cooperation agreement, where Yeti Coolers is the official Yetis coolers company. There is something like a co -branding, “Anderson said. “I think there will be some conversations between Ryan Smith, Smith Entertainment Group and Yeti Coolers in one way or another. And they will probably come up with something.
Yeti coolers, of course, could also say no.
“It will really come down to whether Yeti’s coolers want to try to block them,” Anderson said. “If the Utah hockey club appeals and the Yeti coolers do not want it, they could file something to the USPTO, which says,” Don’t betray this, it will cause confusion. ”
Regarding the effect on the name schedule, the president of the hockey club Utah Chris Armstrong said the team is still committed to opening up its official brand by the beginning of next season.
“We will continue to include the community in the last stages of the naming and branding process, and we are fully up to date with our plans to declare a constant name and identity before the 2025-26 NHL season,” Armstrong said.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Center of Hockey Club Utah Clayton Keller (9) jumps to the Hockey Club’s defender Mihail Sergachev (98) to celebrate Sergachev’s winning goal, giving Uta 3-2. Over Vancouver Kanks in Delta Center, Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
“Our intention has always been to leave our identity for the first season as a hockey club, the performance of the team and the incredible reaction from our fans to keep the conversation in our first season.”
If Utah decides to just give up the rejected estimates – which is very unlikely to do – the team has ice, swarm options, rage, shume, caribou, blast and canyons that have not faced any USPTO problems.