SACRAMENTO, CA - News10 Exclusive: While the Sacramento Kings ponder a move to Anaheim, they may already be laying the groundwork for a name change.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office received an application on March 3 by a Nevada corporation seeking the exclusive right to use the name "Los Angeles Royals."
Another application filed the same day reserves the name "Anaheim Royals." The city of Anaheim, which owns the Honda Center, has reportedly insisted that any team playing there carry the city's name.
The web domains losangelesroyals.com and anaheimroyals.com have also been registered within the past three weeks.
The trademark applications were filed on behalf of Crickets Corp., a Nevada corporation represented by Sacramento attorney Scott Hervey. Hervey specializes in intellectual property issues and also represents the Maloof family, owners of the Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.
The Kings played for years in Kansas City and Rochester as the Royals, and have lately been wearing their retro Royals jerseys in home games.
A name change would help the team avoid confusion with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.
The Los Angeles Royals and Anaheim Royals trademark applications offer a broad explanation of how the names might be used:
Entertainment services in the nature conducting sporting events, namely cricket exhibitions, baseball exhibitions, hockey exhibitions, football exhibitions, basketball exhibitions... entertainment services, namely, providing a website featuring multimedia material in the nature of television highlights, interactive television highlights, video recordings, video stream recordings, interactive video highlight selections, radio programs, radio highlights, and audio recordings...
Contacted at the Sacramento law office of Weintraub, Genshlea and Chediak, Hervey seemed to be taken aback when asked if the Kings' owners were behind the trademark applications.
"I don't discuss client relationships," Hervey replied after several moments of silence.
Sacramento trademark attorney Dan Ballard said it's common for companies to apply for three or four trademarks when they're considering a name change.
"It's actually a placeholder. It's a way to preserve the mark and inform the rest of the world that is your mark," Ballard said. "It doesn't necessarily mean they are going to use it, but they've registered it before they actually need it."
The Maloofs have until April 18 to let the NBA know if they're staying or leaving.
News10/KXTV
Copyright 2011 / All Rights Reserved
Per the tweet, it'd be called LA Royals. I'm not saying they are IN Los Angeles, just repeating the facts of the article. Wouldn't be the first time an Anaheim team carries the LA moniker.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Maybe they can follow suit. The Los Angeles Royals of Anaheim?
Bad move for them if they do IMO. They should look towards San Diego or keep pushing for Las Vegas. There is absolutely no reason for a city to have 3 basketball teams, and with the way Blake Griffin is gaining popularity, they would be destined to be in last place there for a long time.
Anaheim is a suburb of Los Angeles...L.A and Orange Counties are distinct in their own right, but they're in the same media market, with the same television and radio stations, and the same major newspapers.
I would like the switch to the Royals. It would make the Nets name change so easy. Become the Brooklyn Kings. Kings County. You couldn't gift wrap a better name.
Third LA team in the NBA?
