Outside Player Makes The Shot While WNBA Sleeps On Houston Comets’ Name

The WNBA is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom. Between record-breaking viewership numbers, packed arenas, and multi-billion-dollar media rights deals, women’s professional basketball is having a massive moment.

Naturally, expansion and relocation are top of mind, and for Houston basketball fans, the ultimate dream is finally coming true: the legendary Houston Comets are poised to return to the court for the 2027 season following Tilman Fertitta’s blockbuster $300 million purchase and relocation of the Connecticut Sun.

There is just one glaring, multi-million-dollar problem. The WNBA does not actually own the trademark to the “Houston Comets.”

As a consequence, the league is currently locked in a fierce federal trademark battle with a Delaware-based limited liability company, TSTM Holdings, over who legally owns the identity of the WNBA’s first great dynasty.

How in the World Did the League Lose Its Own History?

To understand how the WNBA wound up in this legal predicament, we need to look back to 2008. The Houston Comets were one of the league’s original eight franchises, winning the first four WNBA championships with legends like Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson. However, the team folded in 2008 due to financial hardships.

Under U.S. trademark law, you cannot simply hold onto a trademark forever without using it. To maintain a federal trademark registration, an owner must periodically file declarations proving the mark is still being used in commerce.

But because the team no longer existed and games were not being played, the WNBA’s primary “Houston Comets” trademark registration for “entertainment services in the nature of live basketball games” officially lapsed in 2021.

Fast forward to May 2024. Anticipating a future return to Houston, a Delaware LLC named TSTM Holdings beat the league to the punch, filing a federal trademark application for the “Houston Comets” name to use on clothing and various entertainment services.

To toss out some basketball terminology, when WNBA Enterprises finally got around to refiling for the name in early 2025, they found themselves completely boxed out.

Enter the Rap Superstar: The Plot Thickens

For months, TSTM Holdings remained a “mystery company” with no apparent ties to professional basketball. However, legal filings and investigative reporting shed light on who might be behind the curtain.

The paperwork for TSTM Holdings lists Kia Kamran, the long-time attorney and representative for Houston-born rap superstar Travis Scott and his company, LaFlame Enterprises. While Scott has not publicly commented on the legal battle, the move aligns with his brand’s deep ties to Houston sports history (such as his previous Astroworld-themed ventures).

But the WNBA is not backing down. The league filed a formal notice of opposition to TSTM’s application, arguing that the league has “common-law” rights built on nearly thirty years of goodwill. In its legal filings, the WNBA aggressively argued that TSTM has no bona fide intent to actually use the mark in the marketplace and is essentially squatting on a beloved piece of sports history.

A Growing Legal Headache for the WNBA

Sadly, the Houston Comets situation is not an isolated incident. As the WNBA tries to revive its classic brands, it is running into a wall of “zombie trademarks.”

The league is reportedly facing similar intellectual property hurdles trying to reclaim the names of two other defunct, historic franchises: the Cleveland Rockers and the Detroit Shock. In those cases, the situation may be more complicated because the marks are reportedly tied up with an independent basketball entity.

One spark of potential good news for the WNBA? Rockets business executives recently stated at a press conference that they feel highly confident the naming rights will be resolved in time for the team’s return in 2027.

The Marketing and Legal Lesson for Businesses of All Types

This high-profile sports dispute offers a critical lesson for businesses of all sizes regarding intellectual property maintenance.

Never Let Valuable Legacy Marks Fully Die. Even if a business pauses a specific product line, brand, or service, it can maintain trademark protections by continuing to use the mark on alternative goods, such as throwback apparel or merchandise. Had the WNBA kept merchandising trademarks active, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) likely would have rejected TSTM’s application automatically due to a “likelihood of confusion.”

The Power of Common-Law Rights. Just because a federal registration lapses does not mean all your rights vanish. If a business can prove it built massive, recognizable goodwill in a name over decades, it can use common-law arguments to fight off subsequent applicants. However, proving this in an opposition proceeding is vastly more expensive than simply keeping a registration active.

As the 2027 season approaches, all eyes will be on the courtroom and the negotiation table. Whether Travis Scott’s camp and the WNBA strike a lucrative co-branding deal or battle it out to a final judgment, the case serves as a stark reminder: in the business of sports, protecting your history is just as important as protecting your future.

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