The Arizona Diamondbacks – sometimes referred to as the D-backs – are a Phoenix-based professional baseball team. The Diamondbacks competed in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. (Read more on MLB trademarks.)
The Diamondbacks are one of the newest teams in the MLB, having been created as an expansion franchise, along with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and joined the league in 1998. The Diamondbacks play their home games at Chase Field, formerly known as Bank One Ballpark.
Since the team’s creation, the Diamondbacks have won five NL West division titles, one NL pennant, one Wild Card game, and the 2001 World Series, in which they beat the New York Yankees and became the fastest expansion team in major league history to win the World Series. This also made the Diamondbacks the only major professional sports team in Arizona to win a championship.
The Diamondbacks have three players listed in the National Baseball Hall of Fame; Randy Johnson, Alan Trammell, and Roberto Alomar.
Famous Arizona Diamondback trademarks
Over the last 20+ years, the Arizona Diamondbacks have built their brand as a recognizable and prominent team within the MLB. As a result, they have registered over 30 trademarks (and counting) to protect their brand reputation and intellectual property. All trademarks are registered by AZPB Limited Partnership
The single “A” logo
The Arizona Diamondbacks are obvious by their team logo, which is made up of the letter “A” with a snake’s tongue as a crossbar, and the logo stylized in italics. This was inspired by the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, a species of snake that is found in Arizona.
The team logo has seen a number of variations, including the addition and removal of the team name stylized alongside the “A”, but the italic letter has always been a constant in the team logo history. The filed trademarks also disclose that the illustration also includes where a drawing or design may include words, letters, and numbers alongside the logo.
The “A” trademark was first registered in 2000, and all registered trademarks apply to:
- Entertainment services in the nature of baseball exhibitions
- Paper goods and printed matters, such as writing pads, note paper, notebooks, book covers, and wall calendars
- Playing cards, trading cards, bumper stickers, posters, decals, and scorecards
- Paper gift and party bags, paper party decorations, tablecloths
- Stationery-type portfolios and stationery folders
- Non-electric erasers, pencil sharpeners, drafting and drawing rulers
- Magazines featuring baseball game programs
- Gift wrapping paper, paper napkins, and greeting cards
- Clothing, including dresses, ponchos, raincoats, overalls, suspenders, nightgowns, mittens, gloves, scarves, hosiery, and footwear
- Child and infant clothing, including cloth diaper sets, cloth bibs, rompers, and baby booties
- Toys and sporting goods, including bowling bags, bendable toy figurines, stuffed toy animals, baseball bats, gloves, golf club bags, and golf balls
- Catcher’s helmets, masks & mitts, and baseball batting helmets
- Chess sets, dart boards, toy trucks, toy snow globes, video game cartridges, dolls, and accessories
- Autographed baseballs
- Electrical and scientific apparatus, including videotapes and audiotapes relating to baseball, luminous and neon signs, magnets, computer accessories
- Jewelry, including bracelets, charms, earrings, rings, necklaces, pendants, watchers, costume jewelry, rubber or silicone bracelets, and/or wristbands in the nature of a bracelet
- Medallions, ornamental metal pins, lapel pins, cuff links
- Metal belt buckles, tie tacks, tie pins, money clips
- Bags, including athletic, overnight, duffel, tote bags, beach bags, lunch bags, purses, wallets, and fanny packs
- Dog collars and dog leashes
Related: Trademarks for logos
Arizona Diamondbacks
The team name Arizona Diamondbacks is the most obvious intellectual property that needs to be trademarked. This trademark was first registered in 2002, is owned by AZPB Limited Partnership, and applies to:
- Entertainment services, namely, providing live baseball games, exhibitions, and competitions
- Programs featuring baseball games, exhibitions, and competitions and other programs relating to baseball provided through television, radio, computer via the Internet, and private computer networks
- Multi-user interactive computer games
- Education services in the nature of baseball skills instruction
- Clothing, including shirts, T-shirts, shorts, baseball uniforms, jerseys, sweatshirts, boxer shorts, robes, sleepwear, and socks
- Checker sets, board games, dart boards, toy cars & trucks, inflatable baseball bats, jigsaws, and manipulative puzzles
- Autographed baseballs
- Golf balls, putters, and club covers
- Christmas tree ornaments
- Paper goods and printed matter, including trading cards, posters, stickers, decals, and bumper stickers
- Stationery folders, calendars, business card holders, paperweights, pens, and pencils
- Books featuring baseball
- Electrical and scientific apparatus, including videotapes and audiotapes relating to baseball, luminous and neon signs, magnets, computer accessories
D-backs
The D-backs are the colloquial name for the Arizona Diamondbacks. This trademark was first registered in 2004 and applies to:
- Clothing and headwear, including shirts, T-shirts, jerseys, jackets, bottoms, shorts, infant wear, visors and hats, and footwear
- Entertainment services including live baseball games, exhibitions, and competitions
- Multi-user interactive computer games
- Baseball programs that are provided through television, radio, and computer
- Education services in the nature of baseball skills and instruction
Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation was established in 1997 – before the D-backs ever played a major league game! The foundation was set up to support three main areas of needs in Arizona: homelessness, indigent healthcare, and children’s programs. To date, the foundation has made charitable donations of more than $75 million to non-profit organizations and programs across Arizona. This trademark was registered in 2011 and applies to:
- Organizing and conducting charity auctions for charitable fundraising purposes
- Conducting fundraising drives, auctions, and raffles
- Collecting clothing, money, and sports equipment for a charitable donation
- Providing entertainment services in the nature of baseball games, exhibitions, ballpark tours, and game day experiences
- Providing facilities for sports tournaments and competitions relating to baseball
- Providing educational speakers and appearances by players, coaches, and staff to promote community values and opportunities for underprivileged youth and their families
- Concerts, baseball exhibitions, fundraising banquets, raffles for prizes, and other baseball-related events
D-backs Give Back
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation coined the phrase “D-backs Give Back” in 2012, a concise tagline to explain the dedication to their community and philanthropic efforts of the D-Backs and the foundation. This trademark was eventually filed in 2016, and is applicable to:
- Charitable fundraising services
- Special events
- Entertainment services including baseball games, baseball exhibitions
- Organization of athletic events
- Organizing community sporting and cultural events
- Providing information, news, and online newsletters in the field of sports
- Charitable services by providing baseball and softball-related sports equipment and other sporting goods to under-resourced communities
Wrapping up
In 2022 Forbes valued the Arizona Diamondbacks at $1.38 billion, a 5% increase on its 2021 valuation. With this pattern of growth continuing to increase each year, it’s vital that the Diamondbacks continue to trademark and protect their intellectual property.
With over 30 trademarks and growing, from their team name, logos, and other commercial and charitable opportunities relating to the team, all trademarks are significant to the brand of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
