Tim Billick, a trademark attorney based in Seattle, WA, made a guest appearance on sports-centric podcast, The Markcast. On the podcast, Billick shares his opinion on the ongoing lawsuit between USFL ex-owners and Fox Sports, which is set to debut a new USFL in April 2022.
Tim Billick (https://www.tbillicklaw.com), an intellectual property dispute attorney based in Seattle, Washington, recently made a guest appearance on the popular sports podcast The Markcast to share his opinion on the ongoing media uproar surrounding the United States Football League (USFL). The new USFL, which is due to make its debut on April 16, 2022, has come under threat by a lawsuit from ex-USFL owners due to the names and marks it decided to use.
The Real USFL LLC (the holding company developed by the original USFL team’s owners) say that Fox did not seek their permission to use the original name and logos for the new league. The original league’s run was from 1983 to 1986, during which it helped propel names such as Reggie White and Herschel Walker to stardom. The new USFL claims to “bring back” the USFL, but there are discrepancies regarding the name and logo’s usage and rights.
One contentious legal issue that has arisen in light of this debacle is that the former USFL (under The Real USFL LLC) has been defunct since 1986, and therefore, has no trademark rights to their marks. This is due to the understanding that trademark rights only exist if the marks are actively in use and maintained. Tim Billick’s guest appearance on the Markcast podcast attempts to shed light on the legal issues surrounding the lawsuit, which is poised to delay the debut of the new USFL.
Watch the complete podcast here.
About The Markcast
Hosted by Reid Johnson, The Markcast covers news and opinions related to all-football leagues outside of the NFL. New episodes are released each Friday, and viewers can access their episodes and interviews on their YouTube channel. The Markcast can be contacted at themarkcastpodcast@gmail.com.
About T Billick Law
Tim Billick is an intellectual property attorney who specializes in trademark protection, patent intellectual property disputes, as well as technology and entertainment contracts. Tim Billick has been recognized by Best Lawyers of America in the field of patent litigation, and he is a member of the International Trademark Association and the Copyright Society of the United States of America. Tim Billick’s extensive experience has seen him successfully advised numerous creators on managing copyright takedown on Amazon.
T Billick Law is located at 600 1st Avenue, Seattle WA 18904. He can be contacted via email at tim@tbillicklaw.com.
