New England Patriots

Trademark: Patriots

First Used: 1960

Registered: 1972

Current Owner: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS LLC [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark; non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark

Primarily Associated With: entertainment services – namely, football exhibitions [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

Congratulations to the Patriots for advancing to the 2026 Super Bowl®! This week we will be highlighting some NFL championship related trademark registrations, including those owned by the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Good luck, Pats!

In 1959, Boston businessman Billy Sullivan was awarded a franchise in the newly formed American Football League (AFL), and the Boston Patriots played its first season in 1960 with home games at various Boston venues. The team was a charter AFL member and stayed in that league until the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, after which it joined the National Football League. In 1971, the team moved to Foxborough, Massachusetts, and rebranded to the New England Patriots to reflect a regional identity.

For much of their early history, the Patriots only had modest success, losing to the Bears in Super Bowl XX and to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. It is not breaking news to say that everything changed in 2000 with the hiring of Bill Belichick and that year’s 199th draft pick, Tom Brady. The Patriots became THE dominant team of the next two decades, winning six Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIV, XLIX, LI, and LIII), losing three (XLII, XLVI, and LII), and making numerous AFC championship appearances. After a seven year break, the Patriots are back and ready to win another!

The Patriot’s trademark portfolio is equally (ok maybe slightly less) impressive compared to its successes on the field. The team currently owns over 50 US trademark registrations that include a mix of traditional and non-traditional trademarks.

PATRIOTS® [4], NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS® [5], BOSTON PATRIOTS® [6], and PATS® [7] are all registered word marks for entertainment services, clothing, and many other goods and services. The team also owns registrations for a variety of slogans including WE ARE ALL PATRIOTS® [8], THE PATRIOT WAY® [9], IGNORE THE NOISE® [10], and NO DAYS OFF® [11] (all for a mix of fan club and entertainment services).

The Patriots also has some of the most recognizable design marks in the NFL, including the throwback Pat Patriot Logo [12], the current Flying Elvis Logo [13], the Patriots Stylized Letters Logo [14], and the NE Stylized Logo [15] (in connection with a variety of goods and services). The team also utilizes a few helmet logos, including the Pat Patriot Helmet Logo [16] [17] and the Flying Elvis Helmet Logo [18].

Like a lot of sports teams, the Patriots also owns unique non-traditional trademarks protecting the color configurations of their uniforms. For throwback uniforms, the team owns registrations for the Patriots Retro Color Uniform [19] and the Patriots Retro White Uniform [20]. For modern day uniforms, the team owns registrations for the Patriots 90s White Uniform [21] and the Patriots 90s Color Uniform [22]. All of the configuration marks are registered in connection with entertainment services in the form of professional football games and exhibitions.

Interested in matchups from other years? Check out our post on the 2025 Super Bowl.

Interested in learning more about other 2026 sporting events? Check out our 2026 posts on the College Football National Championship and Team USA in the Winter Olympics.

Copyright © 2026 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.

---

[1] New England Patriots, https://www.patriots.com/.  

[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 949,536, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72400611&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[3] Super Bowl Standings, PRO FOOTBALL REFERENCE, available at https://www.pro-football-reference.com/super-bowl/standings.htm; The History of the New England Patriots, PATRIOTS, available at https://www.patriots.com/press-room/history; New England Patriots, NFL FOOTBALL OPERATIONS, available at https://operations.nfl.com/learn-the-game/nfl-basics/team-histories/american-football-conference/east/new-england-patriots/.

[4] Id.

[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 995,095, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73002188&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,699,429, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77201160&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.  

[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,144,361, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78551033&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,095,997, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85342443&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,516,043, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85851287&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[10] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,069,741, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87317350&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[11] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,069,742, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=87326969&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[12] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 948,384, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72400612&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[13] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,755,546, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76419865&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[14] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,035,889, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74374928&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[15] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,314,557, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85573117&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[16] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 995,096, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73002189&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[17] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,850,666, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74322505&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[18] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,029,693, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74695395&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[19] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,230,456, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73336707&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[20] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,295,023, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73336708&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[21] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,043,973, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74403498&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[22] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,043,974, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74403499&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.