Dan Gilbert, Tom Gores and the Ford family have failed so far to land a Major League Soccer franchise, and they're not having much luck finding a name as well.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office this week upheld its original ruling, denying the group a trademark for “Detroit City Soccer Club," writes Tony Paul of The Detroit News, who goes on to write:
The government issued its initial denial in October, saying “Detroit City Soccer Club” was too close in name to “Detroit City Football Club,” a popular, semi-professional soccer team based out of Hamtramck. A trademark lawyer for Gilbert, Gores and the Fords filed an appeal in April, and again they were denied.
The USPTO’s ruling cites a regulation in its refusal, saying it “bars registration of an applied-for-mark that so resembles a registered mark that it is likely a potential consumer would be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the source of the goods and/or services of the applicant and registrant."
