A district court judge granted the Washington Star’s emergency motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in an Alexandria court yesterday evening. The motion was filed on May 28 to prevent NOTUS, a competing D.C. news organization, from rebranding as The Star, arguing that the new name infringes its trademark.
The dispute centers on the rights to the name of a newspaper that ceased publication 45 years ago. The Washington Star was a leading D.C. newspaper for over a century before it closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy in 1981. Its trademark was acquired by the publisher Dovid Efune in 2023 with the plan to restore the Washington Star as a real rival to the Washington Post.
Media billionaire Robert Allbritton, who co-founded Politico, launched NOTUS in 2024 and has invested heavily in recent months to take advantage of the Washington Post’s decision to reduce its local news coverage and shutter its sports department. NOTUS’s plan to rebrand as The Star amid its expansion to fill the gap left by the Washington Post has been shared widely, and a marketing campaign has already marked its expansion into local news and sports coverage under the title ‘The Star Metro.’
The plaintiff’s motion argues that the name change violates its trademarks and creates confusion in the D.C. news marketplace in which it has been active for over three years, before NOTUS entered the space.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. of the Eastern District of Virginia began by noting the high bar a plaintiff needs to clear for a TRO, which can be granted only “sparingly and in limited circumstances.” In granting the motion, Judge Alston noted that the plaintiff satisfied the burden by demonstrating a likelihood of success on the merits, showing irreparable harm in the absence of relief, and establishing that a TRO is in the public interest.
There is no dispute that Efune acquired the trademark, which he recently transferred to The Washington Star Company, and the judge acknowledged evidence that the defendant’s unsuccessful attempts to purchase the trademark could suggest an awareness that rebranding as The Star would infringe on the plaintiff’s rights.
In assessing whether a likelihood of confusion exists, Judge Alston cited a long list of examples that illustrated actual public confusion. He also noted several instances in which Allbritton referenced his father’s ownership of the Washington Star in the 1970s as being part of the decision to rebrand as The Star, describing the name as a “nod” or an “homage” to his family’s history.
Although NOTUS has at times downplayed suggestions that the new name embraces the legacy of the old Washington Star newspaper, the judge took aim at NOTUS CEO Arielle Elliot’s assertion that the new title is merely a reference to “the north star of journalism.” Judge Alston wrote that such a claim “is contradicted by the public statements and marketing materials regarding the origin of the name” and that the defendant “appears to be specifically targeting the D.C. market with its rebranding efforts.”
Efune welcomed the decision granting relief and protecting the Washington Star’s rights in the market. In a public statement, Efune said: “This ruling reinforces our focus on what matters most: reviving a legendary American institution and returning a much-needed voice to our nation’s capital. … We stand on the shoulders of The Washington Star’s historic legacy. We’ve also invested significant resources into redeveloping its brand and bringing it into the modern era.”
The ruling freezes the status quo. It prohibits NOTUS from launching a new domain name, rebranding the company, or running new advertising that uses any variation of the Washington Star, including The Star. The ruling does not require NOTUS to remove previous statements or marketing materials from public display at this time.
The court has scheduled a hearing on the motion for a preliminary injunction for July 22, 2026.
As of this morning, NOTUS had not released a public statement on the ruling.
