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Miami Freedom on Tap for MLS?

MLS

If recent filings are any indication, Miami Freedom–or some variation–could be the name of Miami’s MLS expansion franchise. 

In January, MLS announced plans for a Miami expansion club that will be backed by an ownership group headlined by David Beckham. Since that announcement, there have been questions about some of the finer details surrounding the upcoming club, including the branding that Beckham and his group will select.

While there has been no official announcement on the team’s branding, recent filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office could offer a hint, with Miami Freedom or a similar variation being one possibility. More from the Miami Herald:

Nobody is saying yet, but according to an online search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a company calling itself Miami Freedom LLC applied on May 17, 2018 to trademark the following four names: Miami Freedom Football Club, Miami Freedom United, Miami Freedom FC and Miami Freedom.

Among the goods and services the trademark application lists: posters, decals, trading cards, stickers, media guides relating to a “professional soccer team”, souvenir programs, admission tickets, calendars, pencils, t-shirts, fleece tops, jerseys, hats, caps, shorts, sweat suits, jackets, scarves, headbands, infant and toddler clothing, soccer balls, soccer ball bags, toy figurines, golf accessories, Christmas tree ornaments, “soccer exhibitions live in a stadium,” plastic films for electronic devices, computer and video game software, magnets, sunglasses, DVD’s, and downloadable artwork.

The attorney listed on the application is Thomas W. Brooke, a Washington, D.C.-based trademark attorney with Holland & Knight.

There were also patent applications on May 18, 2018 for variations of “Miami Futbol Club” and “Miami Mundial Futbol Club”. Those listings included the same items as the Miami Freedom listing, and the attorney on those was Pittsburgh-based George Dickos. They were filed by an entity called MIPH, LLC.

In addition to Beckham, the club’s ownership group features prominent local businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, American Idol founder Simon Fuller, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. A years-long effort to bring an MLS squad to Miami preceded January’s announcement, but there are still some lingering questions that are not related to the branding. A nine-acre site in Overtown has long been expected to be used for a new stadium, but discussion in recent months has revolved around whether the group will pursue another site that could accommodate a stadium project of a larger scope.

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August Publications