The newly named Utah Mammoth have filed a federal lawsuit against an Oregon-based hockey equipment company, escalating a trademark dispute over the use of the word “Mammoth” and similar branding. Filed this week in U.S. District Court in Utah, the lawsuit names Mammoth Hockey LLC as the defendant and aims to resolve a standoff over naming rights between the two entities, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.
Smith Entertainment Group — the ownership group behind the NHL’s Utah Mammoth — believes it is legally entitled to use the name under both state and federal trademark law with claims that its branding does not harm the equipment manufacturer’s business. The Mammoth revealed its permanent name and logo in May, following the team’s relocation from Arizona and a transitional first season in Salt Lake City under the placeholder “Utah Hockey Club.”
Shortly thereafter, Mammoth Hockey sent a cease-and-desist letter objecting to the use of the name and mammoth-themed logo. The company argued that the similarities could lead to consumer confusion, potentially impacting its ability to market to hockey fans and players. The company has been producing oversized hockey gear bags since 2014.
“Mammoth Hockey intends to vigorously defend the litigation recently commenced against it by Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League and protect its longstanding trademark used in connection with the hockey goods it has manufactured and sold for the past 10 years,” Mammoth Hockey co-founder Erik Olson said in a statement to the Deseret News.
Both parties incorporate a mammoth design in their logos and operate within the same general industry, increasing the likelihood of brand overlap at retail and online. The Utah Mammoth is entering its second NHL season and its first under the new name.
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