Detroit is getting its WNBA team back in 2029, and the name most of the city wants is the one the league cannot currently use. The Detroit Shock trademark belongs to someone else, and in February the federal government told the WNBA so in writing. Here is how the league lost the rights to its own former team name, and what happens next.
The Trademark Fight at a Glance
| The original | WNBA registration issued 1999, cancelled October 29, 2021 for unfiled maintenance paperwork |
| Who holds it | Women’s Basketball League Inc., a Michigan company led by Ryan Reed |
| Filed | 2023, with registration granted February 2025 |
| WNBA filing | Early 2025 |
| Outcome | Refused by the USPTO in early 2026 |
| Grounds | Likelihood of confusion, essentially the same goods and services |
| Team debut | 2029 |
The League Had the Name and Let It Go
This is the part that makes the whole situation unusual, and the timeline is worse than it first appears. The WNBA filed for Detroit Shock on January 6, 1998, and the registration issued August 10, 1999, covering the years the team won championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008. The franchise left after the 2009 season. The registration did not.
The league kept it alive for another twelve years. USPTO records show the mark was cancelled on October 29, 2021, under Section 8, which is what happens when the owner stops filing the maintenance paperwork that keeps a registration in force. Not a strategic decision to release the name. A lapse.
Trademark rights work differently from most property. You keep them by using them and by filing on time, and you can lose them either way. Once the registration came off the books, the words were available to somebody else. It took two years for someone to notice.
Somebody Else Filed
In 2023, two years after the cancellation, Women’s Basketball League Inc. filed an application for Detroit Shock covering a basketball team and a clothing brand. The registration was granted in February 2025.
The company is led by Ryan Reed, a Detroit native who founded a second iteration of the Women’s Basketball League as a developmental circuit for players sitting between college basketball and the WNBA. He is not an outsider to the sport, and the filing was made well before Detroit’s expansion bid was approved.
The Refusal
The WNBA filed its own application in early 2025, as Detroit’s expansion bid was moving forward. The USPTO refused it in early 2026.
The reasoning was straightforward. Examiners found the existing registration and concluded that the two marks cover essentially the same goods and services, which creates a likelihood of confusion. In plain terms, two entities cannot both own a basketball trademark reading Detroit Shock.
What the League Can Do Now
Two paths are realistic. The league can negotiate to buy or otherwise acquire the rights, which appears to be underway. Reed has said publicly that he has been in talks about relinquishing the trademark.
Alternatively, the league could challenge the registration itself. Trademark attorneys following the case have noted that a registration can become vulnerable to cancellation if the representations made to the USPTO turn out not to match reality, for instance regarding actual use of the mark. That remains an open question rather than an established fact, and no cancellation petition has been reported.
What the Team Is Saying
Richard Haddad, COO and chief legal officer for Pistons Sports and Entertainment, addressed it at a Detroit City Council hearing on November 18, 2025. “The name has not yet been determined,” he said. “We are exploring multiple options, including the Detroit Shock, as hopefully, some or all of you know, was the name of the team that was here before.”
Notably, that is a more careful answer than fans might expect for a name this obvious. He spoke months before the refusal, but the conflicting registration had already been on the books since February 2025, so the trademark file explains the hedge.
Detroit Is Not the Only One
This is a league-wide problem, not a Detroit quirk. Plans to revive the Houston Comets have run into the same trademark obstacle, and the WNBA has been moving to lock in rights to legacy team names as it expands. A league that spent years without a reason to protect its old brands is now buying its own history back.
Why It Matters
Names carry the record. The Shock won three championships in Detroit and drew crowds that made the case for women’s basketball in this market long before the current expansion wave. Consequently, a different name would mean a new team starting at zero rather than one picking up a thread the city already recognizes.
There is time. The team does not play until 2029, and negotiations move faster than seasons. But the outcome is not simply a branding preference, because it now depends on a federal registration the league does not hold.
For the full picture on the franchise, its ownership group, and the $50 million riverfront practice facility, see our guide to Detroit’s WNBA team, and the rest of our Sports coverage.
Detroit Shock Trademark FAQ
Who owns the name?
Women’s Basketball League Inc., led by Ryan Reed, registered in February 2025.
What happened to the WNBA’s application?
The USPTO refused it in early 2026, citing likelihood of confusion.
How did the league lose the name?
Its 1999 registration was cancelled on October 29, 2021 after the league stopped filing the required maintenance paperwork, twelve years after the team left Detroit.
Can the WNBA still get it?
Possibly, by acquiring the rights or challenging the registration. Talks have been reported.