Inter Miami remains tangled in a trademark dispute with storied Italian club Inter Milan over the word “Inter,” and recently had one of its arguments dismissed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. But, the team does not expect to have to change its name, according to a source with knowledge of the proceedings.

The dispute between Inter Milan and Major League Soccer, which collectively owns all its teams, is not about the full team name “Inter Miami CF.” It is over using the abbreviated word “Inter” to market the team.

According to the source, the trademark proceedings between Inter Miami and Inter Milan do not impact in any way Inter Miami’s ability to continue to use the Inter Miami name and trademark designation. Inter Miami has no intention of changing its name and the outcome of the trademark proceedings are irrelevant to Inter Miami’s ability to continue using the name, according to the source.

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The trademark proceedings may address whether Inter Milan will receive federal trademark protection for the mark “INTER”, by itself, to the exclusion of others. The proceedings are at the early stages and, according to the source, there have been no substantive decisions addressing the merits up to this point.

Inter Milan, officially known as FC Internazionale Milano S.p.A, filed a U.S. Patent and Trademark application in 2014 to make the abbreviated version of its name — “Inter” — an exclusive brand in the United States. If granted, that would prevent Inter Miami from marketing itself as “Inter.”

On March 25, 2019, Major League Soccer filed an opposition to Inter Milan’s request.

The MLS opposition notice stated that the word “Inter” is “merely descriptive of applicant and its goods and services,” that the word is short for “internacional,” which translates to “international” and that the phrase “Inter” is commonly used to describe soccer teams.

It mentioned several examples of domestic and foreign soccer clubs that use the name “Inter,” including S.C. Internacional of Porto Alegre, Brazil, which goes by the nickname “Inter.” Others are Inter Nashville FC, Inter Atlanta FC, FC Inter Turku (Finland), NK Inter Zapresic (Croatia), Inter Leipzig (Germany), and Inter de Grand-Goave (Haiti).

The opposition notice went on to say: “Because of the widespread use of the term Inter in soccer, the relevant consumers do not associate the term Inter with one soccer team; Inter by itself is not a source indicator in connection with goods and services associated with soccer.”

The league position is that fans and consumers can readily distinguish between Inter Miami, Inter Milan and other soccer properties that use the word “Inter” as part of their names.

“No one soccer team can claim exclusive rights to the term Inter, therefore Milan has no exclusive rights to the term Inter. ... As a result, Milan is not entitled to register the designation Inter for the goods and services set forth by the Inter application.”

According to a story by Miami attorney David Winker and published Monday in the Daily Business Review, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office dismissed one of the two arguments made by MLS because it “did not meet its burden to show that MLS has valid propriety, or ownership, of the name ‘Inter.’ ”

Winker has filed legal actions against Inter Miami in the past. In October 2018, Winker filed a complaint with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust against Inter Miami owners David Beckham, Jorge Mas, and their partners for alleged illegal lobbying. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was also named in the complaint. The complaint was dismissed after the commission on ethics and public trust found no probable cause for wrongdoing.

On Jan. 18, 2019, Winker filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court seeking to nullify a voter-approved referendum that would allow Inter Miami’s ownership group to build a stadium on city-owned land. Winker was critical of how Inter Miami owners went about negotiating the deal with the city.

In May 2019, Winker represented FXE Futbol, a group that was competing with Inter Miami for the rights to develop the Lockhart Stadium site in Fort Lauderdale. FXE sought an injunction to halt Inter Miami’s construction on the property, but it was denied by a judge.

Inter Miami CF goalkeeper Luis Robles runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF forward Julian Carranza looks on with a knee scooter during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Christian Makoun runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Roman Torres runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF forward Jerome Kiesewetter runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender A.J. DeLaGarza runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Nicolas Figal runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF head coach Diego Alonso talks to his team during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF development academy midfielder Francisco Raggio runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Christian Makoun runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Christian Makoun runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF forward Julian Carranza walks with a knee scooter during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF forward Juan Agudelo runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF head coach Diego Alonso talks to his team during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF Midfielder Victor Ulloa runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF Midfielder Victor Ulloa runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Grant Lillard runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Nicolas Figal runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF head coach Diego Alonso talks to his team during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Nicolas Figal runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Christian Makoun runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Christian Makoun runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF forward Jerome Kiesewetter, center, runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Christian Makoun runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF midfielder Lee Nguyen runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF midfielder Lee Nguyen runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Dylan Nealis runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF defender Roman Torres runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF goalkeeper coordinator Sebastian Saja talk with goalkeepers John McCarthy and Luis Robles during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF goalkeeper Luis Robles runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com Inter Miami CF goalkeeper John McCarthy runs drills during MLS soccer training camp at Lockhart Stadium on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale. By DAVID SANTIAGO dsantiago@miamiherald.com CAPTION Photo gallery: Inter Miami CF training camp | Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Meanwhile, on the field, Inter Miami players and coaches continued training Tuesday at their new Fort Lauderdale facilities. Injured forward Julian Carranza, who will miss 12 weeks with a left foot injury, was at practice getting around on a knee scooter.

The team has a closed-door scrimmage scheduled on Wednesday against New York City FC, will train Thursday and Friday, and then travel to St. Petersburg for its first public preseason game.

Inter Miami will play the Philadelphia Union on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium. The game is open to the public and free of charge.

“This is a very ambitious club, this is what I was looking for, and I found it,” said German-American forward Jerome Kiesewetter, who has played for the U.S. national team. “We’re working hard on getting our patterns in, and hopefully it will work out in the first game. ... At the end of the day, we’re strikers, and [coach Diego Alonso] wants to see goals from us.”

Christian Makoun, a Venezuelan midfielder, said the players continue to connect on and off the field. He said they joke in English and Spanish, and that goalkeeper Luis Robles and defender Roman Torres have emerged as team leaders.

“Every team has to have leaders, players who take charge of the ship, and Roman and Luis are leading the way right now,” he said.

Makoun also has been impressed with the play of MLS veterans Lee Nguyen and Wil Trapp.

“They are showing that they are great players, and I didn’t really know of them before,” Makoun said. “They’re not only good players, but good people. I like Lee’s game going forward and Trapp’s passing.”

Inter Miami is in talks to acquire Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro. Asked how he would feel about Pizarro joining the team, Makoun said: “I would welcome him if it happens. We are ready to welcome any player who wants to help this team, and I think it would be great to have a player of that caliber here.”