{"id":2610058,"date":"2026-06-03T10:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/notus-blocked-from-rebranding-over-trademark-concerns\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T10:43:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:43:04","slug":"notus-blocked-from-rebranding-over-trademark-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/notus-blocked-from-rebranding-over-trademark-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"NOTUS blocked from rebranding over trademark concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnotus-blocked-from-rebranding-over-trademark-concerns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2610058&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal judge in Virginia granted the *Washington Star* a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-georgia-update-judge-issues-restraining-order-for-10-days-preventing-defendants-from-destroying-or-erasing-dominion-voting-machines\/\" title=\"BREAKING GEORGIA UPDATE: Judge Issues Restraining Order for 10 Days Preventing Defendants from Destroying or Erasing Dominion Voting Machines\">temporary restraining order<\/a> against NOTUS, preventing NOTUS from renaming itself the *Star*. The *Washington Star* argued that the rebrand would infringe its trademark rights, and the court agreed-not requiring NOTUS to remove existing references to \u201cStar\u201d from its current online materials, but blocking the company from making new ones.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling is a setback for NOTUS, which had planned to launch the rebrand promptly after court filings. NOTUS had attempted to buy the trademark from the *Washington star* but couldn\u2019t reach an agreement, and it announced the name change in April before pausing.<\/p>\n<p>The dispute also reflects broader competition for readers in Washington, D.C., after layoffs at the *Washington Post*. A hearing on the *Washington star*\u2019s request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for July 22, and that outcome will likely determine whether the rebrand proceeds.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/judges\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2289\">judge<\/a> on Tuesday temporarily <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/id\/urn:aaid:sc:US:29e1946e-917d-466e-a948-a168beb742a0\">blocked<\/a> <em>NOTUS<\/em> from renaming itself the <em>Star<\/em>, giving a partial win to the revived <em>Washington Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston Jr. of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"96\">Virginia<\/a> granted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-temporarily-halts-chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoots-vaccine-mandate-against-police\/\" title=\"Judge Temporarily Halts Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot&#039;s Vaccine Mandate Against Police\">temporary restraining order requested<\/a> by the <em>Washington Star<\/em>, a conservative daily afternoon newspaper once known in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"260\">Washington, D.C.<\/a> After going bankrupt in August 1981, the company is restarting operations and fighting <em>NOTUS<\/em> in court over its trademark name.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4591890\/bill-pulte-intelligence-community-marred-by-infighting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bill Pulte takes the helm of an intelligence community marred by infighting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4591976\/court-inquires-philadelphia-to-force-government-keep-slave-exhibits\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Appeals court questions Philadelphia\u2019s authority to force the federal government to keep slavery exhibits<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4592132\/blanche-garland-involvement-trump-cases\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Blanche says Garland \u2018didn\u2019t own up\u2019 to involvement in Trump cases<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.vaed.596846\/gov.uscourts.vaed.596846.1.0.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.vaed.596846\/gov.uscourts.vaed.596846.1.0.pdf\">19-page lawsuit<\/a> filed last week, the newspaper argues its competitor cannot rebrand as the <em>Star<\/em> without infringing upon the plaintiff\u2019s trademark rights.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge sided with the <em>Washington Star<\/em>, ruling that <em>NOTUS<\/em> cannot use the <em>Star<\/em> name. However, <em>NOTUS<\/em> is not legally required to remove any existing mentions of the <em>Star<\/em> from its website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRequiring Defendant to remove references to The Star from its websites or other materials which currently exist in the public domain would not maintain the status quo; rather, it would alter it,\u201d Alston wrote. \u201cThus, the Court will not require Defendant to take down any current references, but will enjoin Defendant from making new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court order marks a notable setback for <em>NOTUS<\/em>, which was planning to launch the rebrand as soon as this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Representatives of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pastor-appears-to-berate-congregation-for-not-buying-him-a-high-priced-watch-in-viral-clip\/\" title=\"Pastor Appears To Berate Congregation For Not Buying Him A High-Priced Watch In Viral Clip\">digital news outlet<\/a> had attempted to buy the trademark directly from the <em>Washington Star<\/em>, but the two sides couldn\u2019t reach an agreement. <em>NOTUS<\/em> proceeded with the rebrand anyway, announcing the name change in April. It is now on pause.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dovid Efune, publisher of the <em>Washington Star<\/em> and the <em>New York Sun<\/em>, celebrated the ruling in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe welcome the Court\u2019s decision to grant timely relief and protect <em>The Washington Star<\/em>\u2018s trademark and rights in the market,\u201d Efune said. \u201cThis ruling reinforces our focus on what matters most: reviving a legendary American institution and returning a much needed voice to our nation\u2019s capital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Star<\/em> and <em>NOTUS<\/em> are also at odds as they compete for readers\u2019 attention in the local D.C. news space following mass layoffs from the <em>Washington Post<\/em>. About a third of its staff was let go in February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contacted <em>NOTUS<\/em> for comment on the ruling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a past statement, <em>NOTUS<\/em> maintained that the <em>Washington Star<\/em> does not exclusively own the trademark rights, as many other media outlets have used the <em>Star<\/em> name over the years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4586467\/washington-star-sues-notus-name-rebranding\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4586467\/washington-star-sues-notus-name-rebranding\/\">WASHINGTON STAR SUES NOTUS OVER NAME REBRANDING DESPITE GOING BANKRUPT 45 YEARS AGO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe entity does not and cannot own the word <em>Star<\/em>, which has been used by and associated with dozens of media publications for over 100 years,\u201d a <em>NOTUS<\/em> spokesperson told the <em>New York Times<\/em>. \u201cThe entity itself only even claims to have recently adopted <em>The Washington Star<\/em>, decades after numerous other <em>Star<\/em> publications have been using <em>Star<\/em> marks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A hearing on the plaintiff\u2019s motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for July 22. Whether the planned <em>NOTUS<\/em> rebrand proceeds depends on the outcome of the hearing next month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal judge blocks NOTUS from renaming as \u201cthe Star\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2610059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP24253579799678.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[78751,14757,19038],"class_list":["post-2610058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-legal-disputes","tag-rebranding","tag-trademark"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP24253579799678.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2610058"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2610062,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610058\/revisions\/2610062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2610059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2610058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2610058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2610058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}