Athletics' Las Vegas trademark process hits snag

Mick Akers, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Jan 6, 2026

Published in Baseball

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LAS VEGAS — The Athletics are having issues securing the trademarks associated with their planned Las Vegas relocation.

In a Dec. 29 decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the A’s applications for trademarking “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Vegas Athletics” were denied by the federal agency tasked with registering trademarks and awarding patents.

The denial was noted to be a non-final action, with the application still listed as live, with a six-month period for Major League Baseball, which handles trademarks for each team, to apply for an extension.

The A’s deferred comment on the matter to the MLB. An MLB source said the action is not a denial, since it’s noted to be non-final and that the league has previously encountered hundreds of trademark office actions during their work with other teams. The MLB plans to respond to the USPTO within the six-month time frame to ensure the Athletics’ rights are protected.

The USPTO hasn’t yet approved the trademark registry, noting the name Athletics wording being too vague when applied to uses such as general athletic events. The denial also notes that the team isn’t yet playing in Las Vegas, which is a reason why “Las Vegas” and “Vegas” associated registrations were denied.

The USPTO did enter a notice of publication on Dec. 10, for the A’s registration of “Las Vegas A’s” which will officially trademark the name for the organization on Jan. 16, barring any opposition from outside parties, according to the agency’s documents posted online.

The As initially filed for the Las Vegas-based trademarks on Nov. 12, 2023, three days before the team’s Las Vegas relocation was unanimously approved by MLB team owners.

Despite already having ownership of Athletics-related names from the franchise’s other previous homes over their 125-year history, including Kansas City, Philadelphia and Oakland, the USPTO said those previous registrations were not considered when rendering the recent denial.

The A’s are also having a similar issue with their trademark filing for “Athletics,” the name the team is going by while they temporarily play in Sacramento during the interim years between their Oakland exit and their 2028 Las Vegas relocation. The team also has a trademark in for “Sacramento Athletics” that was also denied, a moniker the team filed to protect the name as they play in the capital city over the next two MLB seasons.

The A’s $2 billion Las Vegas ballpark, which is being built on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, is more than 10% complete and on track for the 2028 MLB season.