Professional American baseball team, the San Diego Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL). Often referred to as simply the “Padres”, they are based in San Diego and are one of just two teams to originate from the state of California – the other team is the Los Angeles Angels.
The team’s name means “fathers” in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese and could refer to the Spanish Franciscan friars who founded San Diego. It’s also believed they adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League (PCL) team that arrived in San Diego in 1936. The San Diego Padres are the only franchise across the four major American professional sports leagues in the San Diego market after the Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2017.
The Padres were founded in 1969 as one of four new expansion teams. Originally owned by San Diego businessman, C. Arnholt Smith, the team had a new playing field and the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi, so there was a lot of buzz around the team. However, the Padres initially struggled, finishing in last place in the first six seasons.
The team improved during the 80s and 90s thanks to Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who won eight league batting titles. They won five National League West titles and have two NL pennants to their name – won in 1984 and 1998. They lost the World Series both years and to this day are the only team in California to have not won a World Series.
As of 2022, the Padres have had 16 winning seasons in franchise history and have an overall record of 3,952 – 4,568 (.464). In April 2021, the team broke its history of being the only team in MLB to throw a no-hitter.
Famous San Diego Padres Trademarks
Despite not having the best start in their MLB journey, the San Diego Padres are now a relatively successful baseball team. It’s impressive to see that they currently have a total of 84 trademarks to their name, showing they clearly recognize the importance of protecting their IP and trademarking their assets. Let’s take a look at some of the most famous San Diego Padres trademarks, registered by Padres L.P.
San Diego Padres logo
The first thing that the San Diego Padres trademarked was their logo. The Padres have had several significant logo changes over the years. The first logo used was a friar swinging a baseball bat within a yellow circle, it was designed by a San Diego High graduate and used from 1969 and is still used to this day. However, it wasn’t trademarked until 1975.
The second logo the Padres used in 1985 was very different – simply featuring “Padres” written diagonally in a brown bold elegant logotype. “San Diego” and “Baseball Club” were written in lightweight text above and below this.
In 1990, their logo was changed again to include the same brown typeface, but now within a grey circle with stripes going down the center. This was updated slightly in terms of coloring throughout the years until the next big change in 2004. The Padres dramatically replaced their logo with a blue triangular pennant with a gold outline. “Padres” is written in a bold white and gold cursive logotype, different from what was used previously. The bottom of the logo has light blue and white waves.
They kept this color scheme with their new logo in 2012 which became a bold navy blue circle with a double white outline and a white “SD” monogram in the center. In 2015 it was simplified to just a navy “SD” without the circle and then was updated in 2020 to go back to its original brown coloring, but this time in a darker chocolate brown.
Though “SD” has been trademarked by the team since 1983, their latest logo was trademarked in 2003 and applies to:
- Jewelry, namely, bracelets, charms, earrings, rings, belly rings, necklaces, pendants, watches, costume jewelry, rubber or silicone bracelets and/or wristbands, medallions, ornamental metal pins, lapel pins, cuff links, metal belt buckles of precious metal, money clips of precious metal, key chains of precious metal, key rings of precious metal, clocks, and non-monetary coins of precious metal
- Backpacks, knapsacks, wallets, billfolds, luggage tags, dog collars, and dog leashes
- Electrical and scientific apparatus, namely, credit cards with magnetic coding; photographic cameras, sunglasses; magnets including decorative; protective helmets, baseball batting helmets, catcher’s helmets; video and computer game cartridges, discs and cassettes, video and electronic game programs for use with handheld game units; computer accessories, namely, mouse pads; computer game programs, and computer application programs downloadable from a global computer network in the field of baseball
- Clothing, namely, caps, hats, visors, knitted headwear, shirts, T-shirts, tank tops, blouses, sweaters, pullovers, vests, shorts, pants, slacks, dresses, bodysuits, baseball uniforms, jerseys, warm-up suits, jogging suits, sweatshirts, sweatpants, swimwear, jackets, cloth bibs, infant wear, rompers, coveralls, creepers, baby booties, ties, wristbands, footwear, socks, hosiery, Halloween and masquerade costumes
- Entertainment services, namely, baseball games, competitions, and exhibitions rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via a global computer network or a commercial online service; information services, namely, providing information in the field of sports, entertainment and related topics, and providing for informational messages relating thereto; educational services in the nature of baseball skills programs, baseball camps, seminars and clinics offered live and through on-line instruction; entertainment services namely, production of programming broadcast via television, radio and a global computer network or a commercial on-line service; organizing community sporting events; providing facilities for sports tournaments and competitions relating to baseball; organizing and conducting sports contests and sweepstakes; fan clubs; providing on-line newsletters in the field of baseball
- Toys and sporting goods, namely, stuffed toys, plush toys, checker sets, board games, card games playing cards, toy cars and trucks, toy mobiles, toy banks, toy figures, toy vehicles, dolls, and doll accessories, bobbing head dolls, inflatable baseball bats, miniature baseball bats, mini batting helmet replicas, toy necklaces, baseballs, playground balls, baseball bats, catcher’s masks, baseball batting tees, inflatable toys, Christmas tree ornaments, excluding confectionery and illumination articles
- Paper goods and printed matter, namely, trading cards, posters, stickers, decals, temporary tattoos, bumper stickers, scorebooks, scorecards, printed baseball game programs, magazines, and books featuring baseball, brochures, and pamphlets featuring baseball, calendars, printed bank checkbooks, checkbook covers, paper tablecloths, mounted and unmounted photographs, lithographs, printed paper signs, letter openers, pens, pencils, desk stands and holders for pens, pencils and ink, ticket holders and non-metal lanyards for paper ticket holders sold as a unit, art pictures and prints
Related: Getting a trademark for your logo
Padres
After trademarking their swinging friar logo, the San Diego Padres then trademarked their team nickname – the “Padres” in 1979 which was granted by USPTO in 1981. They have continued to update what this wordmark covers over the years, which now includes:
- Entertainment services in the nature of baseball exhibitions
- License plate holders
- Necklaces and rings
- Earrings
- All-purpose sport bags
- Pennants
- Clothing – namely, socks, shorts, shirts, hats, visors, neckties, and sweat clothes in the nature of shorts, shirts, and pants
- Metal key tags, metal key rings, metal key chains, metal key fobs, metal license plates, metal pet id tags, aluminum bike tags, namely, souvenir license plates of metal, decorative metal non-luminous and non-mechanical street signs
- Beers; aerated waters and other non-alcoholic drinks, namely, soft drinks, colas, soda water, and seltzer water
- Telecommunication services, namely, broadcasting services namely, audio broadcasting, television broadcasting, subscription television broadcasting, cable television broadcasting, video broadcasting, video-on-demand broadcasting, radio broadcasting, cable radio broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, digital television broadcasting, mobile phone broadcasting, and broadcasting via a global computer network; transmission services, namely, audio transmission, television transmission, subscription television transmission, cable television transmission, video transmission, video-on-demand transmission, radio transmission, cable radio transmission, satellite transmission, digital television transmission, mobile phone transmission, and transmission via a global computer network; communication services, namely, streaming of audio and video material via a global computer network; electronic mail services; electronic transmission of messages and data; webcasting services ; providing multiple-user access to the internet; providing on-line chat rooms, on-line electronic bulletin boards, and on-line forums all in the field of baseball
- Financial services, namely, charitable fundraising services, financial sponsorship of sporting events, credit card services
Padres Contra El Cancer
The San Diego Padres Foundation does a huge amount of charitable, and volunteer work. The franchise works with a number of organizations to improve lives throughout the greater San Diego and Baja communities. Part of this work includes Padres Contra El Cancer which looks to help children with cancer. The service mark was trademarked in 2003 and applies to:
- Promoting public awareness of the need for pediatric cancer education, counseling, social support, treatment, and financial assistance
- Charitable fundraising services
- Educational services, namely, conducting community outreach and counseling classes, programs, seminars, and workshops to assist cancer patients and their families; arranging and conducting classes, seminars, and workshops in the fields of cancer, medicine, and cancer treatment, recovery, and support; and providing course materials in connection therewith
- Counseling in the fields of cancer, cancer crisis intervention, parental support for cancer patients, and the impact of cancer on teens and families; and providing medical information in the fields of cancer and cancer treatment, recovery, and support
Welcome to Slam Diego
“Slam Diego” became a favored catchphrase by fans and players alike in 2020 when the Padres hit a grand slam in four straight games. Since then every Padres player to hit a grand slam has become known as a member of the “Slam Diego” club. This has become a huge hit for fans who are always eagerly on their feet to celebrate the newfound tradition. The Padres are still the only team to hit grand slams in four straight games. The trademark was filed in August 2020 and is still pending application, but if granted will apply to:
- Clothing, namely, headwear; shirts; sweaters; vests; bottoms as clothing; dresses; skirts; athletic uniforms; jerseys; underwear; undergarments; sleepwear; robes; swimwear; jackets; sweatshirts; ponchos; aprons; clothing wraps; infant wear; cloth bibs; ties as clothing; belts; footwear; socks; hosiery; scarves; gloves; mittens; headbands; wristbands as clothing; neck gaiters; Halloween and masquerade costumes
Wrapping up
The San Diego Padres are a relatively successful American baseball team. Though they’ve not changed their name or location since they were established in 1969, and are the only major sports team in the area, they have managed to rack up 84 trademarks to their name. These include the expected team name, nicknames, fan slogans, and all logo changes.
However, they’ve also trademarked many of their other assets too. The San Diego Padres appear to be very active in their life outside of baseball, being involved in many charitable organizations, as well as having trademarks for beverages, snacks, and events.
As a team that’s worth $1.58 billion, it’s excellent that they’ve recognized the importance of trademarking their assets and protecting their IP with USPTO. It will save them many future headaches, legal battles, and a lot of money too.
