AEW’s Will Ospreay Files Trademark Application For ‘United Empire’

Published: Apr 14, 2026 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: Apr 14, 2026 by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

AEW’s Will Ospreay Files Trademark Application For ‘United Empire’

Will Ospreay has submitted a trademark application for the term ‘United Empire’, with the NJPW faction recently appearing in AEW.

Founded in October 2020, United Empire have been a staple of NJPW, initially led by Will Ospreay and currently under the direction of Callum Newman.

Newman, Francesco Akira and Henare all rocked up to AEW Dynamite on April 8, assisting Will Ospreay and Alex Windsor in a backstage brawl against Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, PAC, Daniel Garcia & Marina Shafir), with the NJPW faction going on to be victorious in a Chaos in Canada match later that evening.

A recent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office has now revealed that Ospreay has submitted an application for the term ‘United Empire’.

The filing is under the serial number 99756502, covering two separate Goods and Services categories:

IC 025: Shirts; Sweatshirts; Hooded sweatshirts; Hats; Bandanas; Socks.

IC 041: Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes. |

The application filing notes that the “First Use Anywhere” and “First Use in Commerce” for the term were both in December 2019.

The World Of Trademarks & IP Protection

Patents and trademarks are, arguably, a minefield to navigate for something that, on its surface, seems so simple. In essence, the system is designed to protect intellectual property from misuse, be it in the United States (through the USPTO) or internationally through relevant offices.

Indeed, the USPTO works with international offices and offers the ability to secure trademark protection with over 100 other countries through the long-established Madrid Protocol.

With Ospreay filing a trademark application for ‘United Empire’, it doesn’t rule out the ability for the group to go by that name in NJPW, particularly with the AEW star continuing to show respect to his former home and its stars. Holding the trademark himself is a sign of the business mind that Ospreay has nurtured over previous years.

In an ideal situation, Ospreay is likely to grow the status of United Empire, particularly outside of Japan, thanks to his standing in AEW and the close relationship the company has with NJPW.

How the filing will play into the potential scenario remains to be seen, but Ospreay has shown quite the business acumen when it comes to the world of professional wrestling.