In advance of a potential return to the United States, the current ownership of PokerStarshas applied for new trademark protections with the US Patent and Trademark Office, as reported by Pokerfuse.

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The trademark protection would prevent other companies, organizations, and individuals from inappropriately using those trademarks and would make them enforceable in court. Although Rational Intellectual Holdings is applying for these trademarks, they would be transferrable to Amaya Gaming.

One of the applications is for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, its appropriate logos, and the initials PCA. Another application is for Zoom Poker. PokerStars’ iconic spade logo was also on the list for trademark protection.

Finally, something that the rest of the world has seen could be able to make its way to the US. In December 2011, PokerStars built an advertising campaign around the slogan “We Are Poker.” The promotional campaign utilized many of the members of Team PokerStars in its ads, promoting the excitement of the game itself. It is expected that the term “We Are Poker,” along with the six other trademark protections that are being sought by Rational Intellectual Holdings, will be the linchpins of a proposed move back into the US market.

These six patents are the first that PokerStars has sought in approximately seven years, according to Pokerfuse. The list of other registered trademarks for PokerStars includes the site’s name and several prominent online series such as the World Cup of Poker, the World Championship of Online Poker, the Sunday Million, and the World Championship of Poker.

The recent applications have heated up the conversation regarding PokerStars’ return to the US market. After dallying with the purchase of an Atlantic City casino to gain entry into New Jersey, PokerStars and the Rational Group saw their application suspended in late 2013by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement because of the company’s ownership. That ultimately brought about the sale in June of the company to Amaya.

Amaya Gaming has aggressively moved forward with New Jersey gaming officials to get PokerStars licensed. Both sides have expressed that the process could conclude as soon as October, but no set date has been set at this time. The move to trademark important pieces of intellectual property could lead one to conclude that the return of PokerStars to the US might just be around the corner.

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