The Utah Hockey Club says it hopes to announce a permanent name and identity before the 2025-26 NHL season, despite the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of "Utah's Snowman."

"Since acquiring Utah's NHL team, we have been carefully evaluating the possibility of a permanent identity for the team while navigating the complexities of trademarking and Working in the World of Intellectual Property.”

As Ryan Miller of Utah's KSL.com first reported, the USPTO rejected the "Utah Yetis" team's trademark application because of the "potential for consumer-to-consumer confusion" about other companies and brands using the name. ".

In a Jan. 9 memo, the USPTO wrote that the word "Utah" is a generic descriptor that "includes the wording 'Yetis' as the more dominant element of the mark."

The Patent Office said "Utah Yeti" would also not be accepted because "the singular or plural forms of the registered trademark are substantially identical in sound, appearance, meaning and commercial impression, and therefore the marks are very similar."

The Utah Hockey Club is looking to use "Utah's Snowman" on a variety of apparel. The USPTO said a database search turned up "numerous third-party marks in this case related to the same or similar goods and/or services of the applicant and registrant."

Among those gatherings was Yeti Coolers LLC, which makes drinks, coolers and clothing. The memorandum is "non-final office action." The Utah Hockey Club had three months to respond.

The Utah Hockey Club is in its first season in Salt Lake City. The Arizona Coyotes franchise was sold to Utah Jazz owner Smith Entertainment Group in April 2024. Seg acquired the franchise, its players and hockey operations in the sale, although the team was considered a new franchise rather than an extension of the Coyotes. heritage.

In June, it was announced that the team would be known as the Utah Hockey Club for the inaugural season.

"It was always our intention to have our season be about Utah Hockey Club, the performance of the team, and the amazing response from our fans who had conversations during the inaugural season," Armstrong said.

Fans voted for the team's permanent name to six finalists: Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC), Utah Mammoths, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti. Even among Utah players, "Yeti" or "Yetis" will eventually win. However, there were clearly trademark obstacles for the team to get there.

"We continue to engage the community in the final stages of the naming and branding process and are fully on track to announce a permanent name and identity prior to the 2025-26 NHL season," Armstrong said.