The Vegas Golden Knights' nickname lives on.
The NHL expansion franchise has received official approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office to continue to use its nickname for identification and competition purposes, according to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
That same approval has not yet been granted for the logo, and that specific trademark request is suspended pending further appeal. The team will, however, continue to sell merchandise featuring the logo.
"We’re happy," team owner Bill Foley said. "We got what we wanted. We’ve got ‘Golden Knights’ for hockey and we knew it would work out. We’re not worried about the (logo) issue. That will work itself out in time. But we’re not paying anyone anything."
The nickname approval comes after an appeal filed in June following the denial of an application from Black Knight Sports and Entertainment - Foley's company - because the Vegas Golden Knights trademark was deemed to too closely resemble that of The College of Saint Rose Golden Knights, based in Albany, N.Y.
The club received notification of the ruling on Aug. 4.
Carp adds Golden Knights team merchandise is protected under the league’s trademark banner, and there is indeed nothing preventing the team from using and selling merchandise branded with the team's logo.
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