NCAA sues DraftKings for March Madness trademark infringement

The NCAA filed suit against DraftKings on Friday, accusing the sportsbook operator of trademark infringement for use of terms such as March Madness, Final Four and others related to the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The NCAA is requesting an emergency temporary restraining order to stop DraftKings from using its trademarked terms, according to the suit, which was filed Friday in federal court in the Southern District of Indiana.

DraftKings’ sportsbook app had multiple references of March Madness, Sweet Sixteen, Elite 8 and Final Four, alongside betting options on Friday night. ESPN, which has a business partnership with DraftKings, has reached out to the sportsbook for comment.

“Because DraftKings is actively infringing the NCAA’s marks in the middle of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Basketball Tournaments (“Tournaments”) and the NCAA has consistently refused to be affiliated with the gambling industry, this issue is an urgent one and critical to the NCAA’s organizational mission,” the suit reads.

In a release announcing the suit, the NCAA said DraftKings’ “unauthorized use of its trademarks is flatly contrary to one of the Association’s most deeply held institutional values: that sports betting must not be associated with, endorsed by, or linked to NCAA championships or the student-athletes who compete in them.”