A trademark battle has begun between two NFL teams.
The Buccaneers have taken legal action to block a trademark filed by the Saints for "SAINTS CHEER KREWE."
Why?
Per filings, the Bucs claim they were the first to use the term KREWE.
A thread 🧵#GoBucs #Saints pic.twitter.com/dd0addsYg2
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) May 19, 2023
This is almost comical. Washington, D.C.-based trademark attorney Josh Gerben shared news on Friday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking legal action against one of their division rivals — claiming that the New Orleans Saints’ 2022 rebranding of their cheer team violates an established trademark.
Last year, the “Saintsations” were renamed to the “Saints Cheer Krewe” as a nod to New Orleans’ centuries-long tradition of revelry krewes on Mardi Gras floats, and as a more inclusive practice given the addition of male performers to the team. It makes sense seeing as New Orleans also takes pride in its male dance groups like the 610 Stompers.
As for the merits in the Buccaneers’ complaint: Gerben notes that Tampa Bay has trademarked “krewe” for use in its loyalty club member program, team promotions and marketing, apparel, memorabilia, and other merchandise, though the Saints have (thus far) exclusively used the term for their team cheerleaders.
It’s kind of embarrassing that Tampa Bay is making a fuss over this, much less taking legal action when they could probably have settled things out of court. That could still be the conclusion, preventing anything from going to trial, but it’s something to watch out for in the months ahead.
