Utah HC's trademark issues could prevent fan favorite name change

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The Utah Hockey Club is fighting for a Western Conference playoff spot in its inaugural season. After a tumultuous end in Arizona, the franchise moved in such haste they did not have time to name the team. The original plan was to have Hockey Club as the moniker for one season before moving to a permanent name. But Ryan Miller of KSL.com reports that Utah HC is having trouble securing the rights for their preferred new name, the Yetis.

Earlier this month, the trademark for ‘Utah Yetis’ was refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office due to a ‘likelihood of confusion,'” Miller reported. He continued, saying that the team tried adding “Utah” to the trademark and making it plural and both were denied. “The team has three months from Jan. 9 to respond with further evidence and arguments to support its claim for the new trademark,” per Miller.

Utah HC was born from arena disasters in Arizona. The Coyotes could never secure a long-term home and eventually, the league and Player’s Association had enough. But Utah HC is having trouble getting off the ground with branding which could be just as big of a problem. Where should they go from there?

Utah HC may have to stray from Yetis

Yeti won the fan vote that Ryan Smith ran to find Utah HC’s new name. While there were no promises made about the winner of that poll, reports suggested that was an internal favorite all along. But they are running into problems, similar to the ones Vegas ownership hit when naming the Golden Knights.

Army Athletics has a parachute team at sporting events named Golden Knights. They started a trademark battle with the hockey team before they played a game. While they were able to keep the name, it put a scare into the league which was just months away from debuting the new team. If they have to pivot off of Yetis to get a name ready for next season, they should as soon as possible.

Rumors have circulated that Utah HC could be their name permanently. While it was not the plan going in, it may be better than picking from a crop of names they are not in love with. Utah HC has been their name for this season and could be going forward. But like the Washington Football Team eventually went to the Commanders, Utah should as well.

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