MLS Cup 2025
Trademark: MLS Cup
First Used: 1996
Registered: 2020
Current Owner: Major League Soccer, L.L.C. [1]
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark
Primarily Associated With: entertainment services, namely, soccer exhibitions rendered live in a stadium, and through the media of television and radio and via the internet [2]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:
Congratulations to Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC for advancing to the 2025 MLS CUP®! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the MLS’s championship, including those owned by Miami and Vancouver. Good luck to both teams!
Major League Soccer (MLS) was officially founded in 1993 as part of the United States’ successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the league kicked off its inaugural season in April 1996 with ten charter clubs: Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, and Tampa Bay Mutiny in the East; and Colorado Rapids, Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wiz, Los Angeles Galaxy, and San Jose Clash in the West. MLS opened with immediate star power and a championship run by D.C. United, who defeated the LA Galaxy to claim the league’s first MLS Cup, led by head coach Bruce Arena and standout players Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno. D.C. United went on to dominate the league’s early era, capturing three of the first four MLS Cup titles (1996, 1997, 1999) and establishing the league’s first dynasty. Since then, MLS has expanded dramatically and continues to evolve through new clubs, soccer-specific stadiums, and rising investment in both domestic and international talent. As of 2025, there are now 30 clubs competing in the MLS.
MLS® [4] is a registered word mark used primarily for “entertainment services in the nature of soccer exhibitions,” but also for a variety of clothing, soccer balls, and toy soccer games. Interestingly, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER® [5] is not currently a registered word mark for “entertainment services in the nature of soccer exhibitions;” the word mark is currently only registered in connection with scarves, soccer balls, and toy soccer games.
Major League Soccer also owns several other word mark registrations, including MLS FUTBOLITO® [6] (for entertainment services), FUTBOL FIESTA® [7] (for pregame fan experiences), and SOCCER FOR ALL® [8] (for charitable services).
The older MLS Major League Soccer Logo [9] is a registered design mark for magnets and shirts. The newer MLS Shield Logo [10] is a registered design mark for a wide variety of goods and services including primarily for “entertainment services, namely, soccer exhibitions.”
And finally, for the main reason we are here, MLS CUP® [11] and the MLS Cup Trophy Logo [12] are registered trademarks (word mark and design mark, respectively) for a wide variety of goods and services, including primarily for “entertainment services, namely, soccer exhibitions.”
Let’s hope for a great match!
Interested in learning more about trademarks from other 2025 sporting events? Check out our 2025 posts on College Football National Championship, Super Bowl, March Madness (and Final Four), Stanley Cup, NBA Championship, WNBA Championship, and World Series.
Copyright © 2025 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.
[1] Major League Soccer, https://www.mlssoccer.com/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,057,686, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74439464&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] About Major League Soccer, MLS SOCCER, posted June 14, 2023, and available at https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/about-major-league-soccer-x4174; Major League Soccer, BRITANNICA, available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Major-League-Soccer; The History of Major League Soccer, RED BULL, posted November 9, 2022, and available at https://www.redbull.com/us-en/history-of-major-league-soccer; Major League Soccer Seasons, FBREF, available at https://fbref.com/en/comps/22/history/Major-League-Soccer-Seasons.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,057,686, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74439464&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,525,315, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74439426&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,978,074, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76977563&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,550,439, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85968390&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,901,380, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87891129&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,459,891, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74488078&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[10] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,774,301, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86398288&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[11] Id. at 2.
[12] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,046,382, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88633423&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.