Cleveland "Cavalanche" Reminds Trademark Owners to Protect Their Rights
On March 5, 2025, the same day the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched a berth in the 2025 NBA playoffs, the team filed a trademark registration application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for the phrase “CAVALANCHE”. The term, which would be used on various articles of clothing, has been used to describe the team’s extended scoring runs during games.
In the early 2010s, fans of another Cavaliers team - the University of Virginia - also referred to their team’s “Cavalances”. However, the university never registered the mark or used it consistently in commerce. Whether or not this decision was intentional, the lack of use by Virginia means it will be much easier for Cleveland to gain rights to the mark.
Because UVA did not register or consistently use CAVALANCHE, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a clear path to obtaining the trademark registration. If the registration is ultimately granted by the USPTO, this would give the team exclusive rights to use the term commercially and could even prevent UVA from using it in the future without permission.
This case serves as a real-world example of how trademark law works: having a great phrase isn’t enough, you have to register and use it consistently to maintain ownership.
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