Port: UND now owns ‘NODAK’ trademark, says it didn’t cost them anything
MINOT, N.D. — Well, that was quick.
Earlier today I wrote about the ‘NODAK’ nickname the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team has been using on their jerseys this year, and last year, and the fact that a business entity associated with head coach Brad Berry’s daughter owned the rights to it. At the time I published that, all UND would tell me is that they were in the process of resolving the issue with the trademark.
That evening, in a blog post , the university said they acquired the trademark, which didn’t cost them anything.
“The University and NODAK LLC have today entered into an agreement whereby the LLC has expressly acknowledged the University’s existing rights in the NODAK mark as the senior user, and formally transferred ownership of its registration to the University,” reads the university’s statement . “This agreement involved no financial transaction between the University and the LLC and is believed to be in the best interests of all concerned.”
The university also states that they began using the “NODAK” artwork months prior to it being registered with the federal government by Brianna Berry’s business entity. They also claim that, in their opinion, their past association with the “NODAK” trademark had already established their claim to it.
