The Raiders will be playing their home games in Oakland this year, but they’ve spent a lot of time talking about making Las Vegas their home in the future.
They took a step toward setting up such a move recently. Darren Heitner of Forbes.com reports that the team filed applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the name “Las Vegas Raiders” on August 20.
The trademark application covers various classifications, including “arranging and conducting athletic competitions, namely, professional football games and exhibitions;" “production of radio and television programs” and “providing sports and entertainment information” via a variety of mediums.
Applying for those marks doesn’t mean the Raiders will be moving -- the Chargers did the same this year for “Los Angeles Chargers” -- but it’s part of the work that they need to do to be ready to make such a move.
The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee is currently reviewing a stadium plan that calls for an increase in Clark County hotel room taxes to provide the public portion of the financing. A recommendation is expected before the end of September.