Stanley Cup 2025
Trademark: Stanley Cup
First Used: 1893
Registered: 1970
Current Owner: NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE (UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATION; CANADA) [1]
Trademark Type: collective mark; traditional trademark; word mark; design mark; non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark
Primarily Associated With: annual series of professional ice hockey contests to determine the world championship of professional ice hockey [2]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History:
The ice is resurfaced (probably by a ZAMBONI® brand ice resurfacing machine) and the puck is ready to be dropped. Congratulations to the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers for advancing to the 2025 STANLEY CUP® finals! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the NHL’s championship game, including those owned by Edmonton and Florida. Good luck to both teams!
To start us off, STANLEY CUP® is a registered word mark for an “annual series of professional ice hockey contests” [3], together with a variety of other goods like clothing, commemorative coins, medals, key chains, and jewelry [4]. The NHL also utilizes logos to advertise the Stanley Cup playoffs and finals, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs design mark [5] and the Stanley Cup Final design mark [6], each registered similarly for an “annual series of professional ice hockey contests.” Both logos are also registered in connection with a wide range of clothing [7].
NHL® [8], NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE® [9], and the NHL Logo [10] are registered collective membership marks, used by NHL teams to indicate membership in the NHL. The NHL® word mark is also a registered trademark for video game cartridges, clothing, commemorative coins, medals, trophies, jewelry, entertainment services, and retail store services, among other goods and services [11]. The NHL Logo design mark is also a registered trademark for association and entertainment services, motion picture films, magazines, and clothing, among others [12].
This year is a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, with the Edmonton Oilers representing the NHL Western Conference and the defending champion Florida Panthers representing the NHL Eastern Conference. The NHL Western Conference Logo [13] and NHL Eastern Conference Logo [14] design marks are both registered trademarks in connection with “entertainment in the nature of hockey games.”
Both teams will be vying for the legendary Stanley Cup trophy. The three-dimensional configuration of the Stanley Cup Trophy is a registered, non-traditional trademark, including primarily in connection with “annual series of professional ice hockey contests to determine the world championship of professional ice hockey” [15], and also for commemorative coins, medals, key chains, and jewelry [16].
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), NBA Finals, WNBA Finals, World Series, and MLS Cup.
Copyright © 2025 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.
[1] National Hockey League, https://www.nhl.com/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 888,872, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72326176&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] Id.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,422,903, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75749963&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,686,827, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86122961&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,922,822, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85078501&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,922,838, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85078622&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,922,828, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85078542&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,961,015, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85078712&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 883,569, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72315523&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,654,768, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78411327&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[10] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 891,762, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72314765&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[11] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,904,540, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74534765&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,960,563, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74702690&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,962,135, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74702717&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,611,692, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77561137&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,631,182, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86122828&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[12] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 897,099, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72328242&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 993,099, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72463381&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,678,612, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74060856&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,894,400, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74532014&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[13] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,911,854, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74473121&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[14] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,911,855, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74473122&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[15] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,793,016, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74348256&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[16] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,677,429, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86123096&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.