At the time of the filing, Doncic had not given the Mavericks his consent on the nicknamesNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Mavericks rookie G Luka Doncic "may lose ownership of two of his nicknames" after his team "filed trademark requests" with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for “The Matador” and “El Matador,” according to Doyle Rader of FORBES. The applications "delve into the legal world of intellectual property and who owns a player's brand." Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said that the team is "just doing its due diligence in order to protect its assets and that of its players." Cuban: "We always grab trademarks and URLs for players as a way to make sure someone else doesn't get them. We have URLs and other things going back to when I bought the team." But the "ball is now in Doncic's court," as the Mavericks "need his written permission to register the trademarks." If he "does give them authorization, he will be forfeiting his nicknames, giving the Mavericks the rights to them, if approved." At the time of the filing, the team "did not have Doncic’s consent." The applications "list a broad scope of potential uses including audio and video recordings, printed material, clothing and snack foods." The USPTO "usually takes several months before it approves or denies an application." Following approval, any party that "feels that it may be damaged by the registration of the mark has 30 days to challenge it after its publication" (FORBES.com, 1/3).
