The battle for the Houston Roughnecks logos between the XFL and the NFL took an ugly turn on Wednesday, as court documents filed showed that the league has abandoned the main oil derrick logo, as well as the secondary MAN logo.
It came out after the beginning of the year that NFL Properties had moved forward with the opposition they filed when the trademarks were applied for.
The process, however, takes time. After the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officially published the marks, the NFL began its process of having them taken down.
The Tennessee Titans franchise opposed the main logo with the oil derrick, and the New England Patriots did the same with the MAN logo; both claiming that the new ones could confuse consumers into thinking they were buying NFL merchandise, but the league not gaining any revenue from the sale.
After speaking with IP attorney Josh Gerben about the documents, we have been able to confirm that these 2 logos will no longer be associated with the Houston Roughnecks. The language in the filing, “Applicants expressly abandon Application […] with prejudice,” prohibits them from moving forward.
Gerben says with that type of wording, not only would it be impossible for the XFL to move forward with those applications, but they wouldn’t be able to re-file in the future with the same logos.
This has nothing to do with the team’s name, however. There is no reason to think that the team is changing its name. Just the graphics that were used to identify it.
It should be noted that the specific applications that have been abandoned are for use with clothing and uniforms. A separate application was filed for electronic and digital use. The oppositions have now moved on to those filings and we should see the same result.
The Houston Astros have also opposed one of the TMs filed by the XFL for the Roughnecks. “For the H” is currently in the process, and an extension was filed on 2/16/2021.
With the league in discussions with the CFL, its not yet known when we will see our teams back on the field, but when we do, the Roughnecks will have a new look.
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