Port: UND doesn’t own the trademark for hugely popular ‘NODAK’ jerseys, but the hockey coach’s daughter does
MINOT, N.D. — Last year, the University of North Dakota’s men’s hockey team unveiled a new alternate home jersey . It’s somewhat retro, reminiscent of jerseys the team wore in the 1950s, only instead of the now-retired “Sioux” nickname written diagonally across the front, the jerseys say “NODAK,” for North Dakota.
The new jerseys “were a hit among fans and instantly sold out,” Brad Schlossman reported in September .
But there’s a problem. Even though the school has been using the “NODAK” trademark, they don’t own it, nor do they have a licensing agreement for it. It’s not listed as one of the trademarks on the licensing page of the UND website , and when I contacted UND spokesman David Dodds about the matter, he acknowledged that the school is working on the problem.
But here’s where things get interesting. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where trademarks are registered so they can be enforced, the owner of “NODAK” is a Minnesota entity named NODAK LLC . The registered agent of that entity is Brianna Berry.
Daughter to Brad Berry.
