WNBA files trademark application to bring back ‘Detroit Shock’ as city submits expansion bid

WNBA files trademark application to bring back ‘Detroit Shock’ as city submits expansion bid


The Renaissance Center (complex of skyscrapers with the Chrevrolet sign) in city urban skyline by the Detroit River. 

Roberto Machado Noa | Lightrocket | Getty Images

As cities around the country vie for the next WNBA team, the league quietly filed a trademark application this week for the name “Detroit Shock.”

The filing, dated Thursday, notes the intended use is for a basketball team, merchandise, jerseys and in-arena signage that could appear on TV or radio broadcasts. It could offer clues into the league’s ultimate decision for the location of a new franchise.

On Friday, Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores submitted a bid for the Motor City to host a new team. The ownership group would be led by Gores and also includes Detroit Lions principal owner and chair Sheila Ford Hamp; former Detroit Pistons stars Grant Hill and Chris Webber; General Motors CEO Mary Barra, and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

“Detroit is a sports town that loves its teams deeply and consistently shows up with unwavering passion,” Gores said in a statement.

The WNBA and Detroit Pistons didn’t immediately return request for comment on the trademark application.

The new trademark application by the WNBA is the only submission from the professional women’s basketball league since early December, according to Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben IP, who has no involvement with the specific filing.

Unlike other professional sports leagues where individual teams own their own trademark filings, the WNBA holds the rights to all names and logos for the league’s franchises, according to Gerben.

Detroit Shock logo on T-Shirt

Courtesy: Detroit Shock

“Circumstantial evidence would be that [Detroit’s] is a winning bid and they’re very much planning on getting this going to have filed that trademark application,” Gerben told CNBC.

However, Gerben said the filing could also be a way for the league to protect itself against “squatters” or others trying to use the name.

Another trademark application was filed for the “Detroit Shock” by an individual named Ryan Reed in July 2023, but that trademark has yet to be approved. A person with the same name, purportedly based in Detroit, identifies as the founder of a women’s basketball league on LinkedIn.

The Detroit Shock were a WNBA team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, from 1998 to 2009. The team won three WNBA Championships in 2003, 2006 and 2008. In 2009, the franchise moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they played until 2015. Today, they play in Arlington, Texas, as the Dallas Wings.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at the WNBA Finals in October that at at least 10 cities had expressed interest in launching an expansion team.

“We’re not in a huge rush. We’d like to bring it in in ’27 or no later than ’28,” Engelbert said at the time in regards to adding a 16th team.

Cleveland, Kansas City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Houston, Austin, Nashville, and Milwaukee are among the locations seeking to bring women’s professional basketball to their cities.



Source

IMAX is headed for its best year on record as it capitalizes on Hollywood’s box office rebound
Business

IMAX is headed for its best year on record as it capitalizes on Hollywood’s box office rebound

General atmosphere during an IMAX private screening for the movie “First Man” at an AMC theater in New York City on Oct. 10, 2018. Lars Niki | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images More than a year before “F1: The Movie” would eventually hit theaters, Apple struck a deal with IMAX. The studio secured the […]

Read More
How Iconiq, the wealth firm backed by Mark Zuckerberg, brings ultra-rich philanthropists together
Business

How Iconiq, the wealth firm backed by Mark Zuckerberg, brings ultra-rich philanthropists together

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Manuel Orbegozo | Handout | Reuters A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. Even as tax changes may reduce giving by […]

Read More
Patrick Mahomes is investing in his love for coffee — and isn’t thrilled about an 18-game season
Business

Patrick Mahomes is investing in his love for coffee — and isn’t thrilled about an 18-game season

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has added “coffee entrepreneur” to his already packed resume. The three-time Super Bowl champion has invested in Throne Sport Coffee, adding to the 29-year-old superstar’s portfolio off the field. As his Chiefs and the rest of the NFL gear up for the upcoming season, Mahomes spoke to CNBC about […]

Read More