The Atlanta Falcons are an Atlanta-based professional football team, and the Falcons play in the NFL (National Football League) as part of the league’s National Football Conference, south division. The Falcons entered the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team when the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to stop him from joining the AFL.
In 55 years of existence, the Falcons compiled a record of 379–487–6 (369–473–6 for the regular season and 10–14 for the playoffs), winning championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and most recently in 2016. The Falcons have played in the Super Bowl twice, the first during the 1998 season (losing to the Denver Broncos 34-19) and again 18 years later, losing to the New England Patriots (34-28).
The Falcons have had three home stadiums in their 51 years of existence; the first was the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which they shared with the Atlanta Braves (Major League baseball team) until 1991. From 1992 they were based at the Georgia Dome, where they’d play until 2016. The Dome has been used for college football, Georgia State football, and college games, including the Peach Bowl. The Falcons’ current home arena is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium; the team’s headquarters and practice facilities are located at a 50-acre site in Flowery Branch, North of Atlanta.
Team owner Arthur Blank proposed a deal with the city to build a new state-of-the-art stadium near the Georgia Dome; Blank contributed significantly to the build, paying $800 million (while the city of Atlanta contributed $200 million). The total cost for the stadium was estimated at $1 billion, but this was revised to 1.5 billion. The stadium finally opened in 2017 and became the third home stadium for the team and the first for the Atlanta United FC (Major League soccer).
The Falcons play wearing red, black, silver, and white. The facemask helmet design was initially gray, becoming white in 1978 and then black in 1984; the team wore black face masks until its 2020 redesign.
Famous Atlanta Falcon trademarks
The Atlanta Falcons have enjoyed more than 50 years in the NFL, with a loyal fanbase and unique reputation. They’ve amassed a few popular trademarks in that time; let’s take a look at what they’ve registered under the Atlanta Falcons Football Club LLC.
Atlanta Falcons
One of the first trademarks registered by the Falcons was the team name. Following its first use in 1965, it was registered in 1967 for use in:
- Entertainment services related to football exhibitions
- Coaches caps, wool hats, painters caps, baseball caps, visors, headbands, ear muffs, cloth bibs, knit ski masks, and other clothing for men and women
- Football helmets, cellphone covers, decorative magnets, pre-recorded tapes, and computer game software
- Jewelry, watches, clocks, pins, earrings, money clips, rings, etc.
- Toys, sporting goods including golf clubs, footballs, toy banks, etc.
- Playing cards and Christmas tree ornaments
- Magazines and books relating to professional football, trading cards, posters, postcards, calendars, wrapping paper, paper gift boxes, paper stickers, paper napkins, paper towels, poster books, notepads, paper plates, paper cups, paper hats, and greeting cards
Falcons
They also trademarked the “Falcons” wordmark; it was registered in 1982 following its first use in 1966. It’s registered for use in:
- Entertainment services related to football exhibitions
- Men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, namely, fleece tops and bottoms, headwear, caps, T-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, tank tops, sweaters, pants, jackets, golf shirts, knit shirts, jerseys, wristbands, ponchos, raincoats, gloves, ties, cloth bibs; sleepwear, namely, robes and pajamas; aprons, and underwear
Falcons Landing
In 2002 they trademarked “Falcons Landing” for use in:
- Promoting the goods and services of others by arranging for sponsors to affiliate their goods and services with various football personalities and the sport of football
- Rental of advertising space; promoting the goods and services of others through promotional contests, the distribution of discount cards, and organizing exhibitions to promote sponsors
- Entertainment services in the nature of football games, organizing professional football exhibitions, and providing sports information via a global computer network
- Organization of sports events
- Physical education programs and seminars in the field of football
- Live performances by a musical band
- Production of radio and television programs, exhibitions, competitions, and musical and dance performances before live audiences and in stadia
- Organizing sporting exhibitions for fans to view interactive displays of professional football activities and participate in football activities
- Personal appearances by professional football players and conducting contests at sporting exhibits
- Entertainment services, namely, the production of television programs featuring professional football games
Rise up
The Falcons trademarked the popular slogan “Rise Up” in 2013 following its first use in 2010. The trademark applies to the following categories:
- Decals, stickers, books related to football, magazines, etc.
- Entertainment services, including football games and exhibitions
- Sports and entertainment news and information broadcasted via radio, television, and cable
- Community fitness education programs, football camps, and sporting events
More: Trademarking a slogan
Atlanta Falcons logo
The Falcons logo consists of a side view of a Falcon, and it’s most often seen in red, black, and grey. The logo was first registered in 1966, though it was updated in 2003 for use in:
- Football helmets
- Cellphones and related accessories
- Sunglasses
- Posters, calendars, trading cards, and books related to football
- Notepads, stickers, bumper stickers, etc.
- Photo albums and scrapbooks
- Men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, including headwear, caps, sweatshirts, knit shirts, jerseys, aprons, and more
- Plush toys, stuffed animals, play figures, golf balls and bags, toy trucks, miniature football helmets, decals, and more toys and sporting goods
- Educational and entertainment services related to professional football games
- Physical education programs and seminars
- Competitions in sports
- Production and distribution of radio and television shows
- Fan club services
- Jewelry, watches, clocks, jewelry pins, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, charms, pendants, money clips made of precious metal, tie pins, rings, collectible coins, and coins of precious metal
Falcons helmets
Following its first use in 1966, the Falcons helmets were subject to trademark registration. The trademark covers helmets with the Atlanta Falcons logo on the side. The trademark filing was submitted in the following categories:
- Trading cards, posters, books, magazines, stickers, paper napkins, and more
- T-shirts, baseball caps, sweaters, aprons, ponchos, sneakers, and other clothing for men, women, and children
- Entertainment services in the form of professional football games and exhibitions
ATL logo
The ATL logo consists of stylized font depicting “ATL” and is flanked by a winged design. It was registered with the USPTO in 2020 in the following:
- Headwear and shirts
In Brotherhood
“In Brotherhood” is a common saying and slogan for the Atlanta Falcons; a trademark application was submitted in 2018 in the following categories:
- Education and entertainment services in the nature of professional football games and exhibitions; providing sports and entertainment information via a global computer network, a commercial online computer service, cable, satellite, television, and radio
- T-shirts
- Arranging and conducting athletic competitions, namely, professional football games and exhibitions; football fan club services; live shows featuring football games, exhibitions, and competitions; and sporting and cultural events featuring football
Wrapping up
The NFL Atlanta Falcons have carved out a unique reputation in American Football, but they are modest trademark owners, with around 20 registered marks. They could submit a trademark application for several things; for example, there is no trademark for the beloved team mascot, Freddie the Falcon. Several key trademarks include the team name, colors, jersey, helmets, and one or two popular slogans.
