Can You Use “Super Bowl” or Other Event Names in Your Marketing? That “Super Bowl Sale” banner could cost you. Here’s why big event names are protected trademarks, what your business can safely say instead, and how to lock down your own event name. Free Trademark Search → Quick answer: No — you generally cannot use “Super Bowl,” “Olympics,” or similar event names in your advertising without permission, because they are federally registered trademarks (the NFL owns “Super Bowl” for entertainment services in Class 41) and their owners enforce them aggressively. Small businesses should use generic alternatives like “the big game” and protect their own event or brand names by registering them. Secure Mark USA files trademarks in the correct class from $99 plus the $350-per-class USPTO fee. Can you legally use “Super Bowl” in your ads or promotions? In most commercial situations, no. “Super Bowl” is a registered trademark of the National Football League, and using it to promote a sale, party, product, or giveaway can imply an official sponsorship that doesn’t exist. That’s exactly the kind of consumer confusion trademark law is designed to prevent, and the NFL sends cease-and-desist letters to businesses of every size every January.