The Athletics relocate to Las Vegas, but their new trademark applications are rejected.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently denied the Athletics’ trademark registration requests for “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Vegas Athletics.” Since receiving the rejection notice, the team has three months to request an extension, allowing them up to six months to resubmit their applications.

The Patent and Trademark Office stated that the term “Athletics” is too generic and could cause confusion with other activities, and this remains true even when combined with “Las Vegas.”

However, the team name “Athletics” has been in continuous use since the Philadelphia Athletics were founded in 1901. The name was retained when the team moved to Kansas City in 1955 and later to Oakland in 1968.

Earlier, on January 9th, the Patent and Trademark Office also rejected the NHL Utah team’s application to use “Yetis” as their name, citing potential confusion with brands like Yeti coolers. After relocating from the Phoenix area in 2024, the team has since adopted the name “Mammoth.”

The Athletics are investing $2 billion to build a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip with a capacity of 33,000 spectators. The stadium is expected to be completed on schedule for use in the 2028 season.

Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funding for the stadium’s construction, with the Athletics covering the remaining costs. Team owner John Fisher is currently seeking investors to help raise the necessary funds.

In preparation for the move to Las Vegas, the Athletics have signed several key contracts. The latest is a seven-year, $86 million deal with left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, setting a new franchise record. The team also acquired second baseman Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets.

Additionally, the Athletics signed Brent Rooker to a five-year, $60 million contract, agreed to a seven-year, $65.5 million deal with outfielder Lawrence Butler, and extended head coach Mark Kotsay’s contract through 2028, including a team option for 2029.