Judge blocks NOTUS rebrand amid Washington Star trademark fight

A federal judge has halted NOTUS’s plan to become The Star, putting a sudden legal brake on one of Washington’s most consequential branding fights in years. The ruling came in a trademark dispute filed by The Washington Star Company, LLC, which sought an emergency temporary restraining order to stop the rebrand before NOTUS could launch it.

The case landed May 28 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. is presiding. Court records set a hearing for May 29, underscoring the speed of the fight and the stakes for both outlets. NOTUS had announced in March that it would double its staff, then confirmed in April that it would rebrand as The Star and relaunch in June.

The dispute reaches beyond a single masthead. Washington’s media market has been in flux since The Washington Post laid off more than 300 journalists in February, widening the coverage gap that newer and revived outlets are trying to fill. In that environment, a name is not just cosmetic. It can shape audience trust, search visibility, fundraising appeal, and how a digital newsroom distinguishes itself from competitors competing for readers and attention in the capital.

The revived Washington Star is built around a name with old weight. The original paper, once a prominent conservative-leaning daily, shut down in 1981. The new version has started publishing on Substack, and its owner, media executive Dovid Efune, who also publishes The New York Sun, has said he wants a website live within two months and a weekend print newspaper by the end of 2026. Efune also said he aims to hire up to 50 full-time journalists and contributors.

The complaint argues that NOTUS’s planned move to The Star is likely to confuse readers, especially because Robert Allbritton has family ties to the original Washington Star. Allbritton had previously said recreating the name would be too “backward looking,” even as the name choice was framed as an homage to the old paper. A NOTUS spokesperson said the publication would vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.

For NOTUS, the temporary block is more than a delay in rollout. It is a reminder that in a crowded and anxious news market, trademark law can decide not only who owns a name, but who gets to claim a future in Washington journalism.