NCAA Sues DraftKings Over 'March Madness' Trademark

NCAA files for emergency restraining order to stop DraftKings from using protected tournament names

Mar. 21, 2026 at 3:24pm

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The NCAA has accused online sportsbook DraftKings of trademark infringement related to the use of terms like 'March Madness', 'Final Four', 'Elite Eight', and 'Sweet Sixteen' in its sports betting products and marketing. The NCAA has filed a complaint in federal court seeking an emergency restraining order to force DraftKings to stop using these protected trademarks.

Why it matters

The NCAA has long avoided any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies, banning sports betting by athletes and staff and opposing prop bets and micro-bets due to concerns over competitive integrity and student-athlete welfare. This lawsuit represents the NCAA's effort to protect its valuable tournament brands from being exploited by a major online sportsbook.

The details

In the complaint, the NCAA claims DraftKings has 'deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAA's iconic NCAA Basketball Marks' across its betting platforms and marketing to 'trade on — and usurp — the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust' in those marks. Screenshots of DraftKings' platforms show the company embedding NCAA tournament names and logos into betting menus and promotional materials.

  • The NCAA filed the complaint in the Southern District of Indiana on March 21, 2026, just ahead of the start of the men's and women's basketball tournaments.

The players

NCAA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the non-profit organization that oversees college sports in the United States.

DraftKings

An online sports betting and daily fantasy sports company that offers wagering on a variety of professional and college sports.

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What they’re saying

“DraftKings does not use the term March Madness as a trademark, but rather uses it in plain text and as a fair use in the same manner that other tournaments are displayed, such as the NIT, in order to accurately identify the different tournaments and their respective games. This is protected speech under the First Amendment and is not a violation of any brand's trademark. We are confident that the courts will deny this request for an injunction.”

— DraftKings

“Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans — and, critically, college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm — are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or endorsed DraftKings' gambling platform.”

— NCAA

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on whether to grant the NCAA's request for an emergency restraining order against DraftKings' use of the trademarked tournament names.

The takeaway

This lawsuit highlights the NCAA's longstanding efforts to distance itself from the gambling industry and protect the integrity of its marquee basketball tournaments. The outcome could set an important precedent for how sports leagues can defend their intellectual property against encroachment by online sportsbooks.