The Cleveland WNBA team has chosen a name that may have sparked a trademark dispute: the Sirens. The team's owner, Rock Entertainment Group, had been studying the best fit name and branding for over a year, including focus groups.
The Sirens name is a call to Lake Erie, which sits in the northern part of the city. The team's colors are "Sirens Blue" and "Erie Blue." Team president Allison Howard said, "We knew that this team needed to be tied to our greatest asset: Lake Erie."
The team's name is not new to women's professional sports. In 2023, the New York Sirens were part of the inaugural four teams of the PWHL, a league owned by Mark Walter, who also owns the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
Trademark law expert Alexandra Jane Roberts believes there's little reason to have an issue between the two teams, given that the city, logos, and sports are different. IP attorney Josh Gerben also notes that the startup nature of both organizations likely factored into them being able to coexist.
The Cleveland Sirens filed a trademark claim on May 15, 2026, that went live on Monday. The filing was made by CLE Travel Sports, LLC, not the Rock Entertainment Group. A source tells FOS that CLE Travel Sports is associated with the Sirens organization.
The Sirens announcement also means that Cleveland chose against returning to the Rockers name that it used from 1997 to 2003. The name was a tribute to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located in the city's downtown area.
However, the WNBA is facing opposition for the rights to the Cleveland Rockers trademark. The Women's Basketball League, another professional league that is yet to launch, applied to trademark the name in 2023.
The Cleveland Sirens will play at the Rocket Arena, the same home as the Cavaliers, which has a capacity of 19,500 fans. This would be the largest capacity in the WNBA.
Source: Yahoo Sports