NCAA seeks faster trial over DraftKings disputed March Madness branding case
The NCAA is asking a federal judge in Indiana to speed up its trademark fight with DraftKings, saying the normal court calendar could let the sportsbook ride another March Madness wave before the dispute is decided. In a filing reviewed by ReadWrite and dated Wednesday (April 15) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the association asked to move an initial pretrial conference forward and set a compressed schedule that could send the case to trial in February 2027. The group says timing matters because the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments create a short, valuable burst of attention every spring. In its motion, the NCAA said, “DraftKings’s challenged conduct is closely tied to the annual rhythm of the marquee collegiate sporting events, during which consumer engagement is at its peak and the value of the NCAA Basketball Marks is at its highest.” It then warned the court that “Absent an accelerated timeline, DraftKings is likely to continue to exploit that cycle, causing ongoing harm to the NCAA.” NCAA March Madness court …
