The Miami Heat, often known as the Miami HEAT, is a professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat competes in the Eastern Conference (South East Division) of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The team has won three NBA championships and plays its home games at the FTX Arena. The franchise began playing as an expansion team in 1988-89.
The Heat gained relevance in the 1990s with a new team President and Head Coach, Pat Riley. Riley acquired Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning, propelling the team into the playoffs. They led the Heat to four division titles before their respective departures in 2001 and 2002. The team experienced more success after drafting Dwyane Wade in 2003.
The Heat won their first NBA title in 2006 following a trade for former NBA MVP Shaquille O’Neal. When O’Neal departed a couple of years later, the team struggled through the 2000s. The Heat signed reigning MVP LeBron James and NBA All-Star Chris Bosh, creating the big three along with Wade. During their years together, James, Bosh, Spoelstra, and Wade reached the NBA finals every season, earning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. All three left in 2016, with the team rebuilding afterward. The team acquired All-Star Jimmy Butler in 2019 and returned to the Finals in 2020; the Heat acquired multi-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry in 2021. The Heat holds the record for the third-longest winning streak in the NBA with 27 straight games, set in the 2012 season. Six Hall of Famers have played for the team, and James won two consecutive MVP awards while playing for the team.
Famous Miami Heat trademarks
The Heat have been in the NBA for over 30 years; in that time, they’ve amassed a decent collection of trademark filings. Let’s look at some of the most popular Miami Heat Trademarks registered under the Miami Heat Limited Partnership.
Miami Heat
The first and most significant trademark application the Miami Heat team submitted is for the team name. It was first registered in 1989, following its first use in 1988. It’s registered for use in:
- Entertainment services related to basketball exhibitions
- T-shirts and other clothing-related merchandise were sold to advertise the Miami Heat basketball team
Miami Heat logo
The Miami Heat logo is one of the most distinctive NBA logos of all time. It consists of a basketball hoop design with a flaming basketball passing through, above the stylized words “Miami Heat”.
The trademark was registered in 1995 following its first use in 1987. It’s registered for use in:
- Toys and sporting goods including basketballs, pogs, golf balls, rubber action balls, electronic basketball table games, video game cartridges, video game machines, basketball tabletop games, basketball board games, electronic video arcade games, basketball kit comprising of a basketball net and whistle, dolls, stuffed toys, jigsaw puzzles, and Christmas tree ornaments
- Publications and printed matter, including collectible milk bottle caps, basketball trading cards, dance team trading cards, mascot trading cards, entertainment trading cards, stickers, decals, commemorative basketball stamps, postcards, note cards, memo pads, ballpoint pens, pencils, 3-ring binders, stationery folders, wire-bound notebooks, portfolio notebooks, unmounted and mounted photographs, posters, calendars, bumper stickers, book covers, wrapping papers, basketball activity books, basketball statistical books, basketball guide books, reference books for basketball, magazines in the field of basketball, commemorative basketball game programs, paper pennants, stationery portfolios, and statistical sheets for basketball topics, newsletters, and pamphlets about basketball for distribution to the television and radio media
- Goods and services, athletic bags, overnight bags, travel bags including luggage, and other bags
- Key cases and cosmetic holders
- Webcasting services like providing online chat rooms and online interactive chat rooms with guests for transmission of messages among computer users concerning the field of basketball; broadcasting programs via a global computer network
- Online retail store services, including mail order catalog and ordering services
- Audio recordings, computer games, and hardware
- Video games
- Accessories including watches and clocks, jewelry, and jewelry boxes
- Credit cards, calling cards
- Printed publications, namely, magazines, books, and newsletters in basketball, calendars, catalogs in basketball, organizers, empty directories, and directories related to basketball
- Stationery, school supplies, giftware, gift sets, stationery-type portfolios, posters, unmounted photographs, mounted photographs, trading cards, reference books, yearbooks, children’s books, and guide books, all in the field of basketball, address and telephone books, coloring books, children’s activity books, business card holders, credit card holders, pamphlets related to basketball
- Paper and felt pennants, paper and felt flags, plastic flags, paper and felt banners, cloth banners, souvenirs, bank checks, bags, namely, travel bags, duffel bags, travel bags, travel cases sold empty for toiletries, all-purpose sports bags, athletic bags, lunch boxes, wallets, umbrellas, clothing, toys, games, sporting goods, Christmas ornaments, paper and plastic party decorations, housewares, lamps, lighting fixtures, beverageware, kitchenware, household supplies, all-purpose portable household containers, cardboard boxes, all-purpose storage containers, toy boxes, bed, bath and table linens, furniture, office furniture and accessories, lockers and footlocker
- Computer services, namely, providing online magazines, newsletters, coloring books, and catalogs, all in the field of basketball; conducting public opinion poll surveys and public opinion poll surveys in the field of basketball over a global computer network; computer services, namely, providing databases featuring general and local news and information of interest to specific geographic areas
- Providing temporary use of online non-downloadable software featuring television highlights, interactive television highlights, video recordings, video stream recordings, interactive video highlight selections, radio programs, radio highlights, audio recordings, statistical information, trivia, polling information, computer game software, video game programs, interactive video games, trivia game software, action skill games, arcade games, adults and children’s party games, trivia information games, board games, screensavers, computer wallpaper, and cursors, all related to basketball
- Audio and video recordings related to basketball
- Video game cartridges and video game machines for use with televisions, radios, telephones, and cell phone accessories
- Sunglasses and eyewear
- Downloadable computer software for viewing databases of information, statistical information, trivia, polling information, and interactive polling in the field of basketball provided over the internet
Related: Trademarking your logo
Banana Man
The “Banana Man” is Miami Heat’s current mascot. The wordmark “Banana Man” was submitted for trademark registration in 2012. It’s registered for use in:
- Entertainment services like personal appearances by a costumed mascot at basketball games and exhibitions, clinics, promotions, and other basketball-related events, special events and parties, and fan club services
- Entertainment and educational services like ongoing television and radio programs in the field of basketball and rendering live basketball games and basketball exhibitions and basketball events
- Conducting and arranging basketball clinics and basketball coaches clinics, and basketball events; entertainment services, namely, providing a website featuring basketball news like information, statistics, and trivia, television highlights, video recordings, interactive video highlight selections, an ongoing series of radio programs, radio highlights in the field of basketball, and non-downloadable audio recordings in the field of basketball
- Entertainment services include a website featuring online computer games, online video games, online interactive video games, online action skill games, online arcade games, online adults’ party games, online board games, online trivia games, word games, and puzzles
Wrapping up
You can protect your intellectual property by submitting a trademark filing with the USPTO. If your trademark is registered, competitors won’t be able to benefit from your branding and hard work; Miami Heat is one of the most valuable NBA teams with over 5 billion USD net worth. They are also a prolific trademark owner, with more than 30 registered trademarks (including pending applications).
