Cartoon stick figure pointing at a whiteboard with “USA” written in large letters above the Olympic rings — representing a blog post about the Olympics and Team USA trademark registrations.

Trademark: Team USA

First Used: 1980

First Registered: 2001

Current Owner: UNITED STATES OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark

Primarily Associated With: promoting participation with and selection for the US team for an international athletic event [2]

Also A Trademark For: jewelry [3], clothing [4], posters and bumper stickers [5], hotels, motels, and temporary accommodations [6], fundraising activities and promoting public awareness of the Olympic Movement [7], Christmas tree ornaments [8], lanyards [9], and percussion instruments [10]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [11]:

The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off this week! Officially the XXV Winter Olympic Games (or Milano Cortina 2026), the Olympics is scheduled to run from February 6 through February 22 at sites across Northern Italy. You know what’s coming next: let’s take a look at some trademarks and Team USA history!

But first, a little clarification. The trademarks discussed in this post are owned by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The Olympic Rings logo is the exclusive property of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is protected by trademark laws, special statutes, and international treaties around the world. The IOC is AGGRESSIVE in pursuing legal action against unauthorized use, particularly for commercial or promotional purposes, so use at your own risk.

The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 and the US participated in the first modern Olympic Games, held in Athens in 1896. For the first few decades, US athletes competed through athletic clubs and informal committees. Governance began to formalize in 1921 with the creation of the American Olympic Association at the New York Athletic Club, but it evolved repeatedly over the 20th century, becoming the United States of America Sports Federation, then the United States Olympic Association, and later the United States Olympic Committee.

A major turning point came in 1978 with the passage of federal legislation designating the USOC as the coordinating body for US Olympic and international amateur sport, reshaping athlete governance and the role of National Governing Bodies. That same year, the organization relocated from New York City to Colorado Springs, helping establish the city as the center of elite US athlete training. In 2019, the committee adopted its current name, the USOPC, reflecting the modern era of Team USA and its representation of athletes across Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American competition.

The USOPC owns hundreds of word mark and design mark registrations, so let’s take a look at a few important ones.

OLYMPIC® is a registered word mark, including for lapel pins, prints and publications, and selecting and obtaining the most competent amateur athletes to represent the United States in international athletic competitions [12][13], among other things.

TEAM USA® is a registered word mark, including for jewelry, promoting participation with and selection for the US team for an international athletic event, and entertainment services [14][15].

The USOPC also owns registrations for a variety of slogans, including GOING FOR THE GOLD® (for educational services) [16], GO FOR THE GOLD® (for promoting public awareness of the Olympic movement) [17], LET THE GAMES BEGIN® (for promoting public awareness of the Olympic movement) [18], and RINGS OF GOLD® (for providing an award program) [19].

And finally, the USOPC owns the United States Olympic Committee Logo design mark [20] (for jewelry, paper goods, and promoting, publicizing, and controlling participation of the United States in the Olympic and Pan Olympic American Games), the USA Torch Logo design mark [21] (for T-shirts, hats, and lapel pins), and the USA Rings Logo design mark [22] (for metal keychains and blank journals).

Good luck Team USA, bring home (all) the gold!