A trademark filing made by the NBA this week on behalf of the New Orleans Hornets regarding a potential nickname change is merely part of the on-going process and not an indication that a switch is imminent, according to the league’s executive vice president of communication Mike Bass.

“When teams may be looking at a possible name change, it is standard practice for the NBA league office to file trademark applications on the team’s behalf,” Bass said Wednesday evening. “We filed trademark applications for multiple possible team names for the New Orleans franchise.”

The league’s attorney in charge of intellectual property, Anil V. George, filed trademark paperwork regarding five possible nicknames: Pelicans, Rougarou, Mosquitos, Swamp Dogs and Bullsharks.

The procedural movement is aimed to protect the nickname possibilities from poaching by other sources.

via Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune