MLS In Seattle – Sounders name out due to trademark issues.
By now, you have seen the three names put forward for the new MLS team: Seattle FC, Seattle Alliance, and Seattle Republic. If you find these names to be stale, you’re not alone – they have been met with almost universal disdain.
Noticeably absent from the list is the name “Sounders,” which has been in use for over 30 years. Why? The cynical among us have already ascribed the motivation to financial concerns.
It appears the Sounders name was never trademarked, making it public domain. Therefore, it would be impossible for Major League Soccer to prevent other companies from using the Sounders moniker in merchandise. Should the club gain popularity in Asia, as is hoped, there would also be no legal challenges available to stop counterfeiters in countries such as China, where U.S. companies already have a difficult time enforcing patents and trademarks.
I spoke with Adrian Hanauer on Saturday night about the team name and he failed to expand on the rationale already given – instead repeating the rhetoric of having a more global focus. So fans are left to choose from the three names given, all of which were recently registered with the U.S. Patent Office. Voting will take place March 27-31 with the winning name announced on April 7.
In its press release, the club claimed it is “taking the lead in sports democracy.” However, since fans aren’t allowed to choose who was on the ballot, it is more reminiscent of “democracy” in a place like Cuba or Zimbabwe.
So while the team will be officially named, there is nothing to stop the supporters from continuing to call the team the Sounders. Several other teams in England and elsewhere have similar unofficial nicknames (Reds, Blues, Addicks, Toffees, Magpies, etc.).
Other notes: The Seattle Republic name is rumored to be Drew Carey’s choice. On Carey’s insistence, the team offered its members a chance to vote on the general manager, a system similar to FC Barcelona in Spain. The name Republic is intended as a homage to the Second Spanish Republic and the forces resistant to Francisco France in the Spanish Civil War.
Seattle FC: The FC stands for football club, which will no doubt cause confusion in Major League Soccer. One wonders whether Seattle SC would be a more fitting official name.
Seattle Alliance: It is unclear what meaning, if any, this name has. But as one Seattle P-I reader mentioned, it sounds like a health care plan.
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Of the three choices, how could it be anything other than Republic…
Seattle Peoples Republic
Peoples Republic of Seattle
Might be nice to cite the blogs you harvest for information.
nice plagirism.
The Seattle Alliance (TSA) is a chunk-blowingly terrible name, and the corresponding acronym implies incompetance. The Republic is tolerable, but weird. Seattle FC is bland, and sounds vaguely European; which is why Seattle soccerheads will vote for this option.
In other news, it seems like the soccerbloggers out there are hungry for blood…better lay low for a bit.
Would you guys relax? It was a rush job – I had to finish it up quickly as I had some videos that were due at BlockBuster. I barely made it as it was! Here are the blogs I had thought I linked to:
http://goalseattle.blogspot.com/
http://mlsrumors.blogspot.com/
Dear Enraged Soccer Bloggers,
(a) It’s “plagiarism”.
(b) It’s not. You got links.
Update: Apparently responding to the recent criticism, Seattle MLS will allow a fourth option to fans – a “write-in” vote. How about that?
I think they should just name them the Soundors. It’s a cross between a large inlet of water and a condor. Think about how fierce that would be!
The blandness of all three initial offerings is appalling. Seattle is neither Communist nor European, and health care seems to be a terrible moniker. I think we should pay homage to our soon-to-be former only professional championship team, only referenced to the glory days of the early 90s. The team name should be the Seattle Reign Men, and Drew Carey could hire Shawn Kemp as the mascot. Every game, he could run out onto the field with one of his many children born out of wedlock, and in a fashion similar to Seahawks ritual, his child could hoist the 12th fan flag. He would never run out of children available to do this, and the team name is fitting of the city and its past. Either that, or just write in Sounders.
Reign Men! Reign Men!!! I want it.
I’m voting for Tacoma Stars. I don’t care if they play in Seattle or not.
I love the idea, but I would tweak it just a little and go with Seattle Reign. Now thats an awesome name for a squad.
The grass roots campaign begins here, at hotdogandfriends.com