Utah Hockey Club She said she still expects to announce a permanent name and identity before the 2025-2026 NHL season despite the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s rejection of “Utah Yetis.”
“Since the acquisition of the Utah National Hockey League, we have carefully evaluated the possibilities for the team’s permanent identity, while operating in the complex world of trademarks and intellectual property,” Chris Armstrong, president of hockey operations, said in a statement Thursday.
As first reported by Ryan Miller of KSL.com In Utah, the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected a trademark application from the “Utah Yetis” team due to the “potential for confusion” between consumers, businesses and other brands using the name.
In a January 9 memorandum, the USPTO wrote that the word “Utah” is a generic description that “makes the phrase ‘YETIS’ the most dominant element of the mark.”
Utah Yeti also won’t be accepted because “the singular or plural form of the registered mark is essentially identical in sound, appearance, meaning and trade impression, and the marks are therefore confusingly similar,” the patent office said.
The Utah Hockey Club was seeking to use the “Utah Yeti” on a variety of apparel. The USPTO said a database search turned up “a number of third-party marks registered for use in connection with the same or similar goods and/or services as those of both the applicant and the registrant in this case.”
Among those parties was Yeti Coolers LLC, which makes drinkware, coolers and apparel. The memo was a “non-final office action.” The Utah Hockey Club has three months to respond.
The Utah Hockey Club is playing in its first season in Salt Lake City. The Arizona Coyotes franchise has been sold to… Utah Jazz Owners Smith Entertainment Group in April 2024. SEG acquired the franchise, its players and its hockey operations division in the sale, although the team is considered a new franchise and not an extension of the Coyotes’ legacy.
In June, it was announced that the team would be known as the Utah Hockey Club during its inaugural season.
“It has always been our intention to allow our first season’s identity as the Utah Hockey Club, the performance of the team, and the amazing response from our fans to drive the conversation during our inaugural season,” Armstrong said.
There was a fan vote on a permanent name for the team with six finalists: Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC), Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom, and Utah Yeti. It was widely expected, even among Utah players, that “The Yeti” or “Yeti” would win in the end. But it is clear that there are major obstacles for the team in reaching this point.
“We will continue to engage the community in the final stages of the naming and branding process and are fully on track with our plans to announce a permanent name and identity prior to the 2025-2026 NHL season,” Armstrong said.
