WNBA Finals 2026
Trademark: WNBA
First Used: 1996
Registered: 1997
Current Owner: WNBA ENTERPRISES, LLC [1]
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark; non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark
Primarily Associated With: entertainment services in the nature of basketball games and basketball exhibitions rendered live and in stadia and through the media of radio and television broadcasts [2]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:
Congratulations to the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream for advancing to the 2026 WNBA® Finals! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the WNBA’s championship game, including those owned by Golden State and Atlanta. Good luck to both teams!
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! The league was officially approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors on April 24, 1996, and launched its inaugural season in June 1997 under the slogan “We Got Next.” The league began with eight franchises: Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty in the East; and Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz in the West. In the inaugural season the Houston Comets defeated the New York Liberty to claim the league’s first championship, with Cynthia Cooper earning Finals MVP honors. The Comets went on to establish an early dynasty by winning the first four WNBA titles (1997–2000), before being dissolved in 2008. 18 years later, the Comets remain tied with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm for the most championships of any WNBA franchise.
WNBA® [4] and WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION® [5] are registered word marks used primarily for “entertainment services in the nature of basketball games” but also for a host of other goods and services (like toys and sporting goods, computer software, trading cards, and clothing). WNBA PLAYOFFS® [6] and WNBA FINALS® [7] are both also registered word marks for a variety of entertainment and educational services, such as rendering live basketball games and basketball exhibitions and providing a website featuring multimedia material.
The WNBA Logo [8] and the WNBA Championship Trophy Logo [9] are both registered design marks. The WNBA Logo is registered for a variety of goods and services, including entertainment and educational services in the field of basketball, while the WNBA Championship Trophy Logo is registered for clothing, including shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, and hats.
The WNBA also owns a pair of non-traditional trademark registrations for toys and sporting goods, namely basketballs. The WNBA Orange & White with Logo Ball [10] configuration mark consists of the "WNBA" logo and distinctive orange and off-white colored panels alternating on a ball. The WNBA Orange & White Ball [11] configuration mark consists of distinctive orange and off-white colored panels alternating on a ball.
Interested in matchups from other years? Check out our post on the 2025 WNBA Finals featuring the champion Las Vegas Aces and the runner-up Phoenix Mercury.
Interested in learning more about other 2026 sporting events? Check out our 2026 posts on the College Football National Championship, Team USA in the Winter Olympics, Super Bowl, Final Four, Masters (including the Masters 12th Hole and Masters Green Jacket), Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, and World Cup.
Copyright © 2026 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.
[1] Women’s National Basketball Association, https://www.wnba.com/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,111,332, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75094617&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] History of Women's Basketball, WNBA, posted July 3, 1997, and available at https://www.wnba.com/news/history-of-womens-basketball; History, WNBA, available at https://www.wnba.com/history; Women’s National Basketball Association, BRITTANICA, available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Womens-National-Basketball-Association; A definitive history of the WNBA, BASKETBALL.COM, available at https://www.basketball.com.au/news/history-of-the-wnba-a-journey-of-growth-struggle-and-triumph; WNBA’s 25 Most Defining Milestones, ESPN, available at https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/31270404/the-25-firsts-defined-wnba-25-years.
[4] Id. at 2.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,221,072, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75094623&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,757,592, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77816504&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,852,241, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77784801&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,206,518, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88375859&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 8,254,972, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=98433592&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[10] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,269,541, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75292513&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[11] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,296,499, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75292514&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.