Cartoon stick figure with a basketball pointing at a whiteboard reading 'Duke,' alongside the Blue Devils mascot — representing a Final Four 2025 blog post about Duke Blue Devils’ trademarks.

Trademark: Duke

First Used: 1925

Current Owner: Duke University [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark

Primarily Associated With: educational services, namely, providing courses of instruction and distance learning at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History:

March Madness® [3] is winding down and the Final Four® [4] is set. Congrats to the Florida Gators, Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars, and Auburn Tigers! The games don’t start until next weekend, but we are getting a jump start at looking at the trademark registrations for the Final Four and each team. Today, let’s look at the trademark portfolio for the Duke Blue Devils.

Ever wondered where the phrase “Blue Devils” originated? While some assume a religious connection, it actually finds its origins in World War I. A group of French soldiers nicknamed "les Diables Bleus” gained recognition through their courage and distinctive blue uniforms with a flowing cape and jaunty beret. When the United States entered the War, units of the French Blue Devils toured the country helping raise money. What’s the Duke connection? In short, the school was looking for a name that matched its blue and white color scheme, and the timing happened to coincide with a student body full of veterans returning from the War that were familiar with the French soldiers. The name “Blue Devils” was selected by a student newspaper, it stuck, and the rest is history. [5]

Duke may have an exciting team on the court, and origin story for its Blue Devils name, but off the court their trademark portfolio leans boring and standard. DUKE® [6] and BLUE DEVILS® [7] are both registered trademarks for a variety of goods and services, including entertainment services and educational services. Duke fans go by many names, and similarly, DUKIE® [8], CAMERON CRAZIE® [9], and CAMERON CRAZIES® [10] are all registered trademarks, for clothing, beverageware, and fan clubs.

Duke also has a variety of well-known logos, some featuring its Blue Devil mascot, including the Cursive Duke University Design Mark [11], the Stylized Letter D Design Mark [12], the Blue Devil Head Design Mark [13], the Standing Blue Devil Design Mark [14], the Walking Blue Devil Design Mark [15] and The Brotherhood Design Mark [16], all used with a wide variety of goods and services.

Interested in learning more about trademarks from other 2025 sporting events? Check out our 2025 posts on College Football National Championship, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, WNBA Finals, World Series, and MLS Cup.