The Glacier Range Riders, a minor league baseball team in Kalispell, Montana, are facing legal challenges from the U.S. Department of Interior for their use of an arrowhead logo. The team, which is part of a Major League Baseball partner league and started playing in 2022, applied for trademarks and logos that include the arrowhead with the letters “RR.” The Interior Department filed a protest with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, claiming that the team’s logo would create a false association with the park service. Despite the rejection of these claims, the agency filed a letter of opposition, leading to a costly legal battle for the team.
The Glacier Range Riders have stated that their logos are inspired by the founding of the national park service, particularly the era when Glacier National Park was established. The team’s logos feature a mountain goat in a park ranger hat, a bear in a red bus similar to the park tour buses, and the contested arrowhead logo. The park service, on the other hand, uses an arrowhead enclosing a sequoia tree, a snow-capped mountain landscape, bison, and the phrase “National Park Service.” The team argues that the only similarity between the logos is the generic arrowhead shape, which is used by many other organizations across the country.
Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana raised concerns about the Interior Department’s legal action against the Range Riders, pointing out that other agencies, tribes, and sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, also use arrowheads in their branding. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is now serving as the head of the agency, stated that she was not aware of the action against the team and could not comment on ongoing litigation. Chris Kelly, president of the Glacier Range Riders, emphasized the importance of the arrowhead symbol representing the strength and resilience of the land and vowed to fight for the team’s right to use it in their branding.
The team is preparing for the 2024 season, with their first home game scheduled for May 21 against the Oakland Bs in the Pioneer League. Despite the legal challenges they are facing, the Glacier Range Riders remain committed to using the arrowhead logo as part of their branding to bring together communities and honor the heritage of the national parks. The dispute between the team and the Interior Department raises questions about the use of symbols and trademarks in sports branding and the potential implications for other organizations that incorporate similar imagery into their logos. The outcome of this case could have wider ramifications for trademark disputes and the freedom of organizations to use symbols that are part of the public domain.
