USFL weirdness

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A new USFL, owned by Fox Sports, is preparing to start a spring football league. There are 8 teams which have old USFL team names although all of the games will be played in Birmingham.

A group of former team owners and executives from the original USFL is suing the new league and is asking for an injunction to keep them from playing. They contend the new league doesn’t have the rights to the league and team names and logos.

That can’t be right, can it? A professional organization wouldn’t just take intellectual property without actually acquiring the rights. And yet that is what they seemed to do, claiming that they they are a completely different entity and thus don’t owe for rights. But if they’re a completely different entity why use the old league’s names and logos?

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33395883/former-owners-executives-original-usfl-sue-fox-sports-halt-launch-new-spring-football-league-same-name

https://deadspin.com/boot-this-reboot-1848609325