US Patent Office Denies Kalshi’s “Prediction Market” Trademark: Term Cannot Be Owned by One Company

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a trademark application by prediction market platform Kalshi to register the term “prediction market,” saying the phrase is descriptive and cannot be assigned to a single company, Sportico reported.

The application was filed on Nov. 10, 2025, seeking to secure Kalshi’s use of the term and limit its use by other market participants.

As part of the process, the company was required to specify the categories its product falls under. In its filing, Kalshi classified its service across multiple categories. In addition to financial services, where the platform typically positions itself, the application also listed betting services and the organization of gambling-related events.

The wording appears to conflict with the company’s public stance. Kalshi has repeatedly said its product does not constitute gambling.

The company said the broad language was used deliberately. A Kalshi spokesperson said the approach was intended to protect the term “prediction market” from use in adjacent industries and does not reflect the company’s positioning.

The application was subsequently rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. On March 3, 2026, Kalshi requested additional time to revise its filing, and the agency granted the company three months to resubmit.

Earlier, Gambling Park reported that the Washington attorney general filed a lawsuit to ban Kalshi over alleged illegal betting.