march madness copyright

The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same: Risks of Using or Accepting or Engaging in Advertising or Promotions that Use FINAL FOUR or Other NCAA Trademarks: 2025 Update – Part II

By Mitchell Stabbe|2026-03-18T09:14:46-05:00March 18th, 2026|Legal News|

Yesterday, I wrote about the history of the NCAA’s asserting the rights to an array of trademarks associated with this month’s college basketball tournaments. Today, I will provide some examples of the activities that can bring unwanted NCAA attention to your promotions or advertising, as well as an increasingly important development that should be considered... Continue Reading…

It’s March … Time for Madness!: Risks of Using or Accepting or Engaging in Advertising or Promotions that Use FINAL FOUR or Other NCAA Trademarks: 2026 Update – Part I

By Mitchell Stabbe|2026-03-17T08:59:39-05:00March 17th, 2026|Legal News|

Each year, as the NCAA basketball tournaments get underway, my colleague Mitch Stabbe highlights the trademark issues that can arise from uses of the well-known words and phrases associated with the games in advertising, promotions, and other media coverage. Here is Part I of his review. Look for Part II tomorrow. March is certainly a... Continue Reading…

Guard Yourself Before Moving Forward When Accepting or Engaging in Advertising or Promotions that Use FINAL FOUR or Other NCAA Trademarks: 2024 Update – Part II

By Mitchell Stabbe|2024-03-20T08:08:28-05:00March 20th, 2024|Legal News|

Yesterday, I wrote about the history of the NCAA’s assembling of the rights to an array of trademarks associated with this month’s college basketball tournaments. Today, I will provide some examples of the activities that can bring unwanted NCAA attention to your promotions or advertising, as well as an increasingly important development that should be... Continue Reading…

March Madness Trademarks: Avoiding a Foul Call from the NCAA (2020 Update)(Part 2 – Even if the Tournament is Off)

By Mitchell Stabbe|2020-03-13T07:49:53-05:00March 13th, 2020|Legal News|

While the NCAA has called off March Madness, promotions may still be continuing, and we certainly hope that the tournament will be back again next year. So we figured that, as this article was already written, we might as well publish it. Yesterday, we wrote about the history of the NCAA’s assembling of the rights... Continue Reading…

March Madness: Nothing but Net for Trademark Infringement Claims

By Mitchell Stabbe|2019-03-15T09:21:49-05:00March 15th, 2019|Legal News|

Alternate Title: March Madness Trademarks: It’s March Spring and You Do Not Want to Make the NCAA Mad Angry at You As we have previously reported, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is very serious about taking action against anyone who may try to trade off the goodwill in its March Madness marks — even if...… Continue Reading

Solve for “X”: NFL is to Super Bowl® as USOC is to Olympics® as NCAA is to X® (There Is More Than One Correct Answer!) – Trademarks and March Madness

By Mitchell Stabbe|2018-03-13T03:17:37-05:00March 13th, 2018|Legal News|

It was almost exactly one year ago that we reported that the National Collegiate Athletic Association filed a trademark infringement action in federal court against a company that ran online sports-themed promotions and sweepstakes under the marks “April Madness” and “Final 3.” The NCAA prevailed because the defendant entered into an agreement not to use...… Continue Reading

It’s March Madness! Know the NCAA’s Rulebook or Risk A Foul Call Against the Unauthorized Use of Its Trademarks

By Mitchell Stabbe|2016-03-15T16:41:35-05:00March 15th, 2016|Legal News|

Two months ago, I wrote here about the risks of publishing ads or engaging in promotional activities that refer to the Super Bowl” without approval of the NFL. Now, with the NCAA Basketball Tournament about to begin, broadcasters, publishers and other businesses need to be multiply wary about potential claims arising from their use terms… Continue Reading

March Madness is a Trademarked Term – Use Caution in Using it in Advertising and Promotion

By David Oxenford|2015-03-04T11:20:37-06:00March 4th, 2015|Legal News|

We are in March, which means that the minds of many turn to basketball, specifically March Madness as the NCAA hosts its annual championship tournament to crown college basketball’s national champion. And many broadcasters want to take advantage of the tournament to promote their stations or the products of their sponsors. Because of this inclination, [&hellip… Continue Reading