NCAA and College Sports Commerce

The NCAA has filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Indiana accusing DraftKings of trademark infringement for using terms such as “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen,” and is seeking an emergency restraining order to halt their use in betting products and marketing ahead of this year’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. In its complaint, the NCAA argues DraftKings deliberately embedded these protected marks and similar variations across its apps, websites and promotions to create a false impression of NCAA sponsorship and to trade on the tournaments’ goodwill, including by targeting college students and young adults. DraftKings tells CBS News it is not infringing, insisting it uses “March Madness” only in plain text as a fair, descriptive reference to identify tournaments, and claims that such use is protected by the First Amendment. The clash comes as the NCAA publicly distances itself from sportsbooks, citing concerns that wagering — especially prop bets — threatens the integrity of college games and fuels online harassment of players, coaches and officials, and it will test how far trademark rights reach when gambling operators market around high‑profile U.S. sporting events.