NCAA sues DraftKings for March Madness trademark infringement | NCAA Tournament 2026
The NCAA filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to prevent online sportsbooks DraftKings from using trademarks associated with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
The trademark infringement complaint was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and asks DraftKings to stop using terms such as “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” or variations thereof in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.
A message seeking comment was sent after hours to DraftKings’ general media relations address.
The NCAA said in the complaint that its marks are used to identify, mark, advertise and distinguish tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.
“On the eve of the tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and began using the iconic NCAA basketball marks, including confusingly similar variants, to trade on – and usurp – the immense goodwill, recognition and consumer trust embodied in those marks at the precise moment of peak public attention,” the complaint states.
Screenshots of DraftKings betting platforms were included in attachments to the complaint.
“DraftKings’ illegal use quickly spread across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, incorporating the trademarks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continually capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA,” the complaint states.
The NCAA said it avoided any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and had refused sports betting sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff, and publicly opposed prop betting and micro-betting. The NCAA said it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and inappropriate influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.
“Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans – and, importantly, students and young adults who are particularly vulnerable to gambling – are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or approved DraftKings’ gaming platform,” the NCAA said in a statement.
