Comets reveal four logos as WNBA files trademarks ahead of Houston return

The reveal

The Houston Comets spent the week teasing a social media release about the rebirth of the franchise. The team revealed its logos at the end of that run, and the marks appeared in blue and red.

The timing was not entirely the team's. A day earlier, eight trademark applications for the logos appeared on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, which effectively previewed the release.

The Comets are returning to Houston through the relocation of the Connecticut Sun, which the WNBA approved. The franchise has been rebuilding its identity since the move was awarded, and the logos are the most visible step so far.

The rollout was built as a countdown: teasers through the week, then the marks at the end. The trademark filings ran on a different schedule, set by the league and its attorneys.

What the four marks are

The applications, filed by WNBA Enterprises LLC, covered four logos. Each logo had two separate applications: one for entertainment services and another for sports jerseys and clothing.

One logo is a circular emblem with a stylized letter H. A basketball with a comet tail cuts through the letter, and "Houston Comets" is written around the border. The primary icon uses the same stylized H without the circular border.

The other two are secondary marks. One shows "Houston" with four stars scattered among the letters, and a basketball with a comet tail passing through part of the T and the O. The fourth shows "Comets" in the same font, with the stylized basketball passing through part of the C and the O.

The applications did not specify a color scheme. The team revealed the logos in blue and red.

The two filing classes explain what the marks are for. A logo used on a broadcast or a website is an entertainment service; the same logo on a jersey, a hat or a T-shirt falls under the clothing application. The WNBA filed both for each of the four designs, which is what a launch needs before merchandise can be sold.

The trademark trail

Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney with Gerben IP, first reported the applications. Messages left with the Comets, the WNBA and the league's trademark attorney were not immediately returned to ESPN.

Gerben said the league could have filed the marks without the public finding them first. "There was a way for the WNBA to have filed these trademarks where everybody would not have been able to find them before the announcement," he said. "They could have literally filed them offshore."

He said sports franchises have started registering marks internationally, particularly in Mauritius and Jamaica, to prevent leaks before a logo or name announcement. A foreign filing gives a franchise a six-month window to file in the United States while keeping the earlier filing date. It is unclear whether the WNBA did that here.

The balance is difficult for teams. Waiting too long to file creates the risk that someone else registers the name or mark first, and filing early creates the risk of a leak.

The gap between filing and announcement is the part teams cannot fully control. A trademark application is a public record once it is filed, and a reporter or an attorney who checks the database daily will find it before the team is ready to say anything.

The earlier claim

The Comets name had been a trademark question for the WNBA since the relocation was awarded. In 2024, a Delaware-based corporation called TSTM Holdings LLC applied for a trademark on "Houston Comets" for uses including clothing and gym bags.

It is unknown who owns TSTM Holdings. On the morning of the reveal, the company abandoned its application, according to USPTO records.

That abandonment cleared a path for the league's own filings. It does not explain why the company filed in the first place, and neither the league nor the team has commented on it.

What comes next

The logos are the first public brand asset for a franchise that has to build a roster, a staff and a schedule before it plays. The Comets have already made front office moves, and the WNBA has been assembling the pieces of the relocation.

The trademark filings also show how much of a launch now happens in public records before a team says anything. A logo reveal is a marketing moment; the applications behind it are dated documents that anyone can read.

Our report on the WNBA's 30th season records covers the league's history, including the Comets' four titles, and our report on arena technology covers the venue side of the business. Our report on the Finals venue question covers how the league handles building availability.

The designs also have to work at small sizes. A primary icon without a border is easier to print on a cap or use as an app avatar, while the circular emblem carries the full name for merchandise and broadcast use. That division of labor is why teams register more than one mark.