Players Era, the NIL-paying college sports tournament operator, moved a step closer to securing trademark rights to its own name after headwear giant New Era dropped its formal protest following an undisclosed settlement.
In a motion filed last week with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), New Era sought to withdraw its opposition to 89 Blocks Holdings LLC’s application to register the “Players Era” word mark.
The filing formalized a settlement the parties reached in May and disclosed to the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in July. The board officially terminated the proceeding on Oct. 6.
New Era filed its opposition in April 2025, after the “Players Era” application was published in November 2024. Citing its continuous use of the “New Era” mark since 1952, the hatmaker argued that Players Era’s branding on athletic apparel, including headwear, would “inevitably lead to confusion, mistake or deception of the public.”
Spokespeople for the companies did not respond to emails seeking comment.
New Era has frequently challenged trademark applications, including those whose brands contain the word “era.” It recently completed a protracted, six-year fight to prevent Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s bid to trademark “Era 8 by Lamar Jackson.”
New Era prevailed in August after TTAB ruled against Jackson on procedural grounds. New Era continues to contest a separate application by Jackson for the word mark “Era 8.”
In addition to its administrative challenges, New Era has also filed a number of trademark infringement lawsuits against other companies, both in the United States and abroad.
Players Era’s marquee property is its 24-team men’s basketball competition in Las Vegas, which is set to play out in two, consecutive tournaments next month. The operator’s growing portfolio includes a smaller women’s basketball multi-team event; a four-team volleyball showcase, which debuted in August; and the inaugural Eternal City Tip-Off, an overseas men’s and women’s basketball matchup in Rome featuring Notre Dame and Villanova on Nov. 1.
After pursuing a lucrative broadcast rights deal, Players Era announced in May a multiyear agreement with ESPN covering all 37 games across its two men’s basketball events, with ESPN Events collaborating on staging and operations. The deal did not include an upright rights fee. This week, Players Era announced MGM Resorts International—which hosts the events at venues including T-Mobile Arena, MGM Grand Garden Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena—had made an undisclosed minority equity investment in the operator.