Indianapolis Motor Speedway warns TV networks, race series about trademark violation

There are many great motorsports events worldwide, but the Indy 500 is clearly the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

That’s not an opinion; that’s an actual trademark Indianapolis Motor Speedway has held since 1986, and track president Doug Boles has issued a pointed reminder to ESPN and other networks and racing series that he says have improperly used that slogan for their events.

Motorsport.com reports that F1’s U.S. broadcast partner, ESPN, used “the greatest spectacle in motorsports” in a season preview trailer. A NASCAR social media post recently used “the greatest spectacle in racing” to describe the Daytona 500, although the post was quickly deleted.

Variations of that “spectacle” trademark have been used in promotions for GP events in Las Vegas and Miami.

Boles told Motorsport.com that IMS will “take every measure possible” to protect its trademark.

“We are aware of the use of our mark in what appears to be a broadcast promotional spot,” Boles said. “We will once again address it with the appropriate people and are prepared to take every measure possible to protect our brand’s intellectual property.”

The slogan has become synonymous with the Speedway and its marquee event, the Indy 500.

History is full of brands once trademarked but lost legal protection because they became generic names for the product. Among those brands are Post-It Note, Band-Aid, laundromats, wine coolers, and thermos.

There’s even a term for the phenomenon, “genericide.”

So Boles is out to protect IMS’ slogan.

“It continues to be disappointing that others can’t create their own brand identity without infringing upon ours,” Boles said.

[Motorsport.com]