Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Law

Fox Agrees to Settlement in USFL Trademark Case

  • A holding company comprised of former USFL owners sued Fox in March.
  • Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
USFL
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

The holding company representing some of the owners of the original USFL reached a settlement with Fox, a dispute that began with a March lawsuit that alleged Fox Sports of trademark infringement. 

The USFL was resurrected as a spring pro football league that debuted in April with many of the team names and logos used by the original franchises from the three-season run from 1983-85. 

The lawsuit was dropped by the holding company, The Real USFL, in a California federal court on Monday.

The Real USFL attorneys Alex J. Brown and Nicholas Matich said in a statement to Front Office Sports that they had “reached an agreement with FOX Sports over the network’s use of the brand identities of the original 1980s league.”

Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed.

“We believe that this agreement will allow the league to be a continued success. It protects the legacy of the original league and helps FOX carry the torch going forward,” Brown and Matich said. 

Sports Business Journal was the first outlet to report the settlement.

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