“You need to trademark that…!” A common phrase that we hear when someone coins a novel term, tagline, or logo. In legalese, this phrase translates to, “You need to register your trademark.” In other words, the owner needs to take steps to assert ownership of their distinct source identifier. 

With another NBA All-Star Weekend in the books, the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, brings into question the role of the NBA G League Ignite in light of the rise of name, image, likeness (NIL) rights. Silver remarked that the original purpose of Ignite was to provide a means for pre-draft eligible athletes to be paid for playing basketball given the league’s age limit for prospects.  This pause for concern by the NBA echoes the many advantages of NIL rights; especially for women’s basketball.