The Utah Mammoth have only had their new identity for three months, but they are already embarking on a legal battle due to the team name. It appears that the name Mammoth is at the center of the legal dispute.
According to the Utah Mammoth ownership group, they filed a lawsuit on August 1st in the U.S. District Court of Utah against an Oregon-based equipment company named Mammoth Hockey. The lawsuit states that the two parties have been involved in a trademark “tiff” and would now like the court to resolve the issue.
The dispute began in May after Utah announced its new team name, The Utah Mammoth, following its use of the name Utah Hockey Club for the 2024-25 NHL season. A lawyer for Mammoth Hockey sent a letter to Smith Entertainment Group and the rest of the Utah Mammoth ownership group calling for an immediate cease and desist, arguing that the name and promotion of it may “constitute trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair competition.” Both companies use mammoth-shaped logos, which, according to Mammoth Hockey, could confuse consumers into believing that both parties are connected.
The Club’s Point Of View
According to officials from Smith Entertainment Group, the Utah Mammoth, and the NHL strongly believe that they have the right to use the name Utah Mammoth under federal and state law, and that their use of the name will not harm the defendant or its business in any way. A timeline for a potential outcome from the court is not yet clear, but Mammoth Hockey reportedly received a summons earlier this week.
Erik Olson, co-founder of Mammoth Hockey, stated that his company “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.”
