It will probably be a very long time before Italy's Serie A Inter Milan (founded in 1908) and Major League Soccer's Inter Miami (playing its first game next month) ever face off on the pitch.

However, Inter Milan took away a key victory in the first round of their trademark battle, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office dismissed one of the two arguments made by Inter Miami that it should not be forced to change its name.

What Is at Stake?

When it was announced on Sept. 5, 2018, that the new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami would be called Inter Miami CF — official name Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami — it raised some groans as the team continued a tradition of MLS teams copycatting European club titles such as Real, United, Sporting and City.

It also raised eyebrows at Inter Milan — official name F.C. Internazionale Milano S.p.A. — which filed its trademark application in 2014 with the USPTO to obtain exclusive commercial rights to use the term Inter. In its application, Inter Milan contended that the team has become synonymous with the term Inter.