College Football National Championship 2025
Trademark: College Football Playoff Logo
First Used: April 29, 2013
First Registered: June 2, 2015
Current Owner: BCS Properties, LLC
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; design mark
Primarily Associated With: Entertainment services in the nature of television sports programs featuring college football games, exhibitions and tournaments [1]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History:
Congratulations to Notre Dame and Ohio State University for advancing through the College Football Playoffs to the 2025 College Football National Championship Game! This week we will be highlighting some college football championship related trademark registrations, including those owned by Notre Dame and Ohio State University. Good luck to both teams!
Kicking things off, there are a variety of college football playoff logos that are registered trademarks used primary in connection with “Entertainment services in the nature of television sports programs featuring college football games, exhibitions and tournaments,” among other goods and services, including the College Football Playoff Logo [1], the National Championship Logo [2], and the Playoff Semifinal Logo [3]. Given the playoff expansion to 12 teams this year, there are also pending trademark filings for the Playoff Quarterfinal Logo [4] and the Playoff First Round Logo [5].
College Football was infamously unable to register a trademark for COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF in connection with entertainment services featuring college football games [6] as the phrase “college football playoff” exactly describes the services (college football playoff games) so cannot function as a trademark. But, they were able to receive a trademark registration for COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF® in connection with key chains, clothing, sports equipment, and collectible toys [7] and for #CFBPLAYOFF® in connection with entertainment services featuring college football games [8]. A good example of how a word can function as a trademark in one context but not in another!
Finally, the three-dimensional configuration of the College Football National Championship Trophy itself is a registered, non-traditional trademark, including primarily in connection with entertainment services featuring college football games [9].
Interested in learning more about trademarks from other 2025 sporting events? Check out our 2025 posts on Super Bowl, March Madness (and Final Four), Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, WNBA Finals, World Series, and MLS Cup.
Copyright © 2025 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.
[1] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,748,471, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85919919&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,399,998, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87425784&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,923,818, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86451954&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Application No. 98761675 (pending), available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=98761675&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Application No. 98761667 (pending), available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=98761667&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Application No. 85888738 (abandoned), available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85888738&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; Trademark Refusal – College Football Playoffs, NEXTREND LEGAL, available at https://www.nextrendlegal.com/trademark-refusal-college-football-playoffs/.
[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,075,162, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85888764&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7,521,684, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=98240416&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7,516,521, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=90640993&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.