In 1999 The National Football League filed a lawsuit against Coors Brewing Company and the National Football League Players Incorporated claiming that Coors’ new advertising campaign infringed upon the NFL’s trademark.  The campaign promoted Coors as the “Official Beer of NFL players,” which Coors claimed to receive authorization of from Players Incorporated, a group that represents many but not all football players.  The NFL argued that not only was the claim false, but that it also infringed upon the use of the NFL’s trademark rights by referring specifically to “NFL players.”  In the lawsuit’s decision, the court upheld the NFL’s claim of trademark infringement, and ordered Coors to alter or remove “NFL players” from their campaign.
    The significance of this case is the implications it has for the NFL’s trademark rights.  The NFL, as copyright and trademark owner, has the rights over the use of many terms pertaining to professional football; including “NFL players” and also the “Super Bowl.”  Just as in this case where the NFL has the right to stop advertisers from using specific terms, the NFL too has the right to ban establishments, such as churches and bars, from using “Super Bowl” when advertising for their game-day viewing parties.  By promoting an event by explicitly using the term “Super Bowl” party, an establishment is infringing on the NFL’s trademark rights, and therefore the NFL has the right to take action against these venues.