Two weeks after revealing their name and logo with a party marred by a technical malfunction, the Vegas Golden Knights hit another roadblock on Wednesday.
A trademark request filed by the NHL on behalf of the Golden Knights was initially denied by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The reason for denial issued in the 164-page document was likelihood of confusion with the NCAAs College of St. Rose Golden Knights.
It is unclear at the moment what exactly this denial means for the franchise. Requests for comment from the NHL after normal business hours on Wednesday night were not immediately returned.
The NHLs 31st franchise has until June 7, 2017 to respond and provide evidence as to why the governments refusal should be withdrawn.
In a statement issued to Sports Illustrated on Wednesday night, the team said it intends to do just that. It is possible the franchise works out an agreement with College of St. Rose to allow for approval.
Office actions like this are not at all unusual, and we will proceed with the help of outside counsel in preparing a response to this one, the statement read. There are countless examples of college sports teams with coexisting names, including Vegas Golden Knights and Clarkson Golden Knights, UCLA Bruins and Boston Bruins, U. of Miami Hurricanes and Carolina Hurricanes, etc. We will plan on making these arguments and others in our detailed written response to the office action which must be filed by June 7, 2017.
This latest blow comes just one week after the U.S. Army said it was reviewing its options to potentially contest the name, since the Armys elite parachute team has been dubbed the Golden Knights since 1962. Those Golden Knights have set more than 350 world records and performed more than 16,000 shows around the world.