The LA Dodgers are an American professional baseball team from Los Angeles. The Dodgers play in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a National League (NL) member of the West division.
The history of the Los Angeles Dodgers spans to 1883 in the city of Brooklyn, which would become part of the Borough of New York City. The team joined the National League in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and assumed several different names over the years before finally deciding on their current name in 1932. The Dodgers developed a fierce rivalry with the nearby New York Yankees, with the two clubs going head to head seven times in the World Series. The Dodgers lost to them five times but won the franchise’s first title in 1955. During this time, the Dodgers made history, breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the Jackie Robinson debut. Robinson was the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues since 1884, and the move was considered controversial. Another major milestone was achieved in 1956 when Don Newcombe would become the first player to win the CY Young award and NL MVP in the same year. Following 68 seasons in Brooklyn, Walter O’Malley, owner of the Dodgers, relocated the franchise to LA before the 1958 season. The team played its initial four seasons at the LA Memorial Coliseum before moving to the present home of Dodger Stadium in 1962.
By winning the 1959 World Series, the Dodgers found great success in Los Angeles. Successes would continue into the 60s with their ace pitchers Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax, the cornerstones of two significant titles in 1963 and 1965.
During the 1980s, Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela would become a fan hit – affectionately known as ”Fernandomania” when he led the team to another championship in 1981. The Dodgers were victorious again in 1988, upsetting their opponents series by series and becoming the only franchise to win multiple titles in the 80s. However, that would end their luck as a 32-year drought began. After 12 postseason appearances and 8 division titles from 2013 to 2020, the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020.
The Dodgers are one of the most successful MLB teams, have won seven World Series championships and 24 National League Pennants (a record). Eleven NL MVP players have played for the Dodgers, and Eight CY Young Award winners pitched for the club.
Additionally, 18 Rookie of the Year Award winners has played for the Dodgers – twice as many as anyone else. This includes four rookies of the year from 1979 to 1982 and five from 1992 to 1996.
Today, the Dodgers are a multi-billion dollar MLB team enjoying huge fan support on the road and at home. According to Forbes, the Dodgers are the second most valuable MLB franchise and are worth more than 3.5 billion. They maintain a fierce rivalry with several other teams, including the San Francisco Giants – dating back to when the two were based in NYC.
Famous LA Dodgers trademarks
With their immense value, it’s not surprising that Los Angeles Dodgers LLC has amassed quite a few trademarks over the years, with some going as far back as the late 1960s. Let’s take a look at some of their most popular trademarks and trademark applications submitted with the USPTO.
Dodgers logo
The basic Dodgers logo consisting of the word “Dodgers” in stylized font beneath a baseball in mid-air, had its first use in 1969. Since then, it has been officially registered in several categories, including:
- Watches and clocks
- Jewelry, including novelty pins and costume jewelry
- Baseball trading cards, decals, and labels
- Bags including sports bags and tote bags
- Cushions and wastebaskets for domestic use
- Display boards including magnetic team badges for maintaining standings of major league baseball teams
- Plastic cups
- Providing news and information in the field of sports
- Providing a virtual environment where users can find and exchange commentary, articles, images, and photos about sports and entertainment. Users can interact for entertainment purposes and express opinions about sports and entertainment
- Providing data, information, and updates on topics of interest to users of an online community
- Cloth pennants
- T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other articles of clothing
- Sew on decorative patches
- Baseball gloves
- Gum
- Cigarette lighters, ashtray, and paraphernalia
Read more on trademarking logos
Dodger Dog
The LA Dodgers are famous for their “Dodger Dogs,” a hotdog for fans to enjoy while enjoying the game. The hot dog is sold at the Dodgers’ home stadium. In 1991 the LA Dodgers trademarked the name “Dodger Dog” for use in:
- Hotdog sandwiches for consumption off or on-premises
LA logo
One of the most commonly seen design logos on LA Dodger merchandise is the LA logo, which in its most basic form consists of “LA” in stylized font overlapping one another. You may see this logo on caps and jerseys, but it has been registered since 1983 for use in:
- Baseball caps
- Novelty items including keychains, beverage containers, and aluminum containers for food and household use
- Baseball uniforms
- Flashlights
- Jewelry and watches
- Paper products and printed matter, including baseball cards, photos of players, and a baseball album sticker collection
- Beverage containers, including glasses
- Clothing
- Broadcast and entertainment services, including news services
- Fabrics including bedspreads, pennants, and towels
- Toys and sporting goods, including plastic batting helmets and toy figurines
- Cigarette lighters and smoking articles
Dodgertown
First used in 1948, the LA Dodgers officially trademarked “Dodgertown” in 2008 for use in the following categories:
- Entertainment services in the nature of baseball displays, baseball games, baseball exhibitions, and baseball history
- Entertainment services, namely, baseball games, competitions, tournaments, and exhibitions rendered live and through broadcast media; educational services like baseball skills programs, baseball camps, seminars, and clinics; providing facilities for sports events, sports tournaments, sports competitions, sport training camps
- Providing facilities for exhibitions, concerts, conferences, conventions, community events, wedding receptions, company picnics, business meetings, family reunions, banquets, holiday parties, and recreation and entertainment; providing bar and restaurant services; providing temporary lodging
Brooklyn Dodgers
Though no longer based in Brooklyn, the Dodgers still own the trademark rights to the Brooklyn Dodgers name, including a trademark registered as recently as 1985 in the following categories:
- Clothing, namely, caps, hats, shirts, T-shirts, baseball uniforms, jerseys, sweatshirts, jackets, socks, hosiery
- Beverage containers, including glasses, mugs, and beer steins
Hot dog logo
The hot dog service mark consists of a smiling cartoon hot dog catching a baseball in the air; the character is wearing a baseball glove and uniform and cleats, and a cap. The cap has the interlocking “LA” logo on it. The trademark filing is currently pending, but if approved, it will apply to:
- Clothing, including headwear, jerseys, jackets, infant wear, headbands, and masquerade costumes
- Toys and sporting goods, namely, bobblehead dolls
- Entertainment services, including baseball games, exhibitions, and related services and organizations (for example, fan clubs)
- Rental of stadium facilities
- Podcasts and online broadcasts related to baseball
Wrapping up
From the Dodgers name, registered in 1969, through to the new hot dog design mark, Los Angeles Dodgers Inc has registered more than 40 trademarks with the trademark office. Most Major League Baseball teams are prolific trademark owners; the only way to truly protect your intellectual property is through federal trademark registration with the USPTO.
