Giants Get Sued Over Team's "San Francisco" Logo - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 10-13-2011, 08:08 AM

It seems absurd that anyone other than the Giants owns the classic script ‘San Francisco’ logo, but one company is suing in a federal court claiming they do.

The story goes like this: Neither the Giants nor MLB ever bothered to trademark the logo so, in March, Gogo Sports of Hayward (one of those ubiquitous enterprises that sells apparel on the street) went ahead and did the deed. Someone on the Giants’ legal team doubtless caught wind of this, and MLB attempted to trademark the logo in April. They were told they could not, as a “virtually identical” logo was already in the system.

Since then, there’s been some back-and-forth between Gogo and the Giants, resulting in Gogo suing in order to protect their right to slap the logo on knockoff merchandise.

The good news for the Giants is that Gogo’s lawsuit probably won’t go far. Despite the fact Major League Baseball didn’t trademark the logo, federal law still protects unregistered trademarks. Because it is so obviously associated with the San Francisco Giants, they essentially own it anyway. So fear not, Giants fans! No one will be ripping the jacket off Bruce Bochy’s chest any time soon … thank goodness.

http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-10-12/n...-joe-eskenazi/

Marvo301 · 10-13-2011, 02:05 PM

Besides if it comes down to a court case I'm sue MLB has far deeper pockets than an apparel company that conducts its business "on the street"!!!

10-13-2011, 08:08 AM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Giants Get Sued Over Team's "San Francisco" Logo It seems absurd that anyone other than the Giants owns the classic script ‘San Francisco’ logo, but one company is suing in a federal court claiming they do. The story goes like this: Neither the Giants nor MLB ever bothered to trademark the logo so, in March, Gogo Sports of Hayward (one of those ubiquitous enterprises that sells apparel on the street) went ahead and did the deed. Someone on the Giants’ legal team doubtless caught wind of this, and MLB attempted to trademark the logo in April. They were told they could not, as a “virtually identical” logo was already in the system. Since then, there’s been some back-and-forth between Gogo and the Giants, resulting in Gogo suing in order to protect their right to slap the logo on knockoff merchandise. The good news for the Giants is that Gogo’s lawsuit probably won’t go far. Despite the fact Major League Baseball didn’t trademark the logo, federal law still protects unregistered trademarks. Because it is so obviously associated with the San Francisco Giants, they essentially own it anyway. So fear not, Giants fans! No one will be ripping the jacket off Bruce Bochy’s chest any time soon … thank goodness. http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-10-12/n...-joe-eskenazi/
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10-13-2011, 02:05 PM	#2
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	Besides if it comes down to a court case I'm sue MLB has far deeper pockets than an apparel company that conducts its business "on the street"!!!
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