The branding of “CoD World Series of Warzone” events has come under legal scrutiny.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has raised significant objections against Activision. The league is opposing Activision’s use of the “World Series” moniker in the title of its Call of Duty esports tournaments.
Officials from MLB’s governing body filed an opposition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), challenging Activision’s attempt to secure the “World Series of Warzone” trademark—a name used for events since 2021.
Activision reacted swiftly, submitting a notice of voluntary withdrawal for the trademark registration to the regulator on the very same day.
Trademark applications are subject to public challenge within a designated timeframe. For the “World Series of Warzone,” this period officially opened in the summer of 2025. MLB representatives had already signaled to the USPTO last year that they might contest Activision’s trademark registration.
In their formal complaint, the MLB stated that the “World Series of Warzone” title “is likely to cause confusion” with their established trademarks, such as the “World Series,” “College World Series,” and “World Series 2000.”
MLB representatives emphasized the prestige and long-standing recognition of the “World Series” brand, which has been utilized for over a century to denote the “most iconic and highly anticipated baseball events in the world.”
Additionally, the MLB expressed concerns regarding the term “zone”: