Notre Dame
Trademark: Notre Dame
First Used: 1898
Registered: January 18, 1983
Current Owner: THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC [1]
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark
Primarily Associated With: clothing, jewelry, paper goods, and ornamental goods, among others [2]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History:
Congratulations to Notre Dame 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 Notre Dame!
NOTRE DAME® [3], UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME® [4], FIGHTIN’ IRISH® [5]: whatever words you want to call the school (ok not all the “whatever words”), they are all registered trademarks used in connection with a wide variety of goods including clothing, jewelry, and miscellaneous paper products.
Notre Dame owns a variety of design mark registrations. The school’s standard (boring block capital) logos include the Notre Dame Block Logo [6] and the University of Notre Dame Block Logo [7]. Both design marks are registered in connection with computer software, sunglasses, lamps, luggage, games, bakery goods, and a HUGE range of other goods.
Of course, Notre Dame also owns one of the most famous logos and mascots in college sports. The ND Logo [8] is a registered design mark used in connection with a HUGE range of goods, including computer software, sunglasses, lamps, luggage, games, bakery goods, and clothing, among others. And lest we forget the mascot himself: the Fighting Irish Mascot Logo [9] is also a registered design mark used in connection with jewelry, paper goods, pillows, flags, clothing, and other goods.
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.
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[1] Football, NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH, https://fightingirish.com/sports/football/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,224,156, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73277065&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] Id.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,268,586, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73347803&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,264,894, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73306157&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,943,013, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74638486&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,943,014, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74638487&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,992,538, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74613693&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,229,591, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73305529&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.