Aug

31

MLB and Cape League Announce Deal

Posted by Greg | Filed Under News | 

The Cape Cod Baseball League and Major League Baseball, which have been at odds over the licensing of team names, have reached an agreement announced just today.  CodBall reported on this earlier in the year. The timing of the agreement is odd. We were told a deal was imminent earlier in the season, but MLB and CCBL waited until after the season to make this announcement. Let us know if you have insights and we’ll also look around.

Here is the announcement, which we just received.

CAPE COD BASEBALL LEAGUE AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROPERTIES COME TO AGREEMENT ON USE OF TRADEMARKS

The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) have come to an agreement that will allow the CCBL to continue using the trademarks of Major League Baseball teams.

Major League Clubs, which are required by law to protect their trademarks, own marks that are used as nicknames and/or logos for six of the 10 CCBL teams (Bourne Braves, Chatham A’s, Harwich Mariners, Hyannis Mets, Orleans Cardinals, and the Y-D Red Sox).

Consistent with other MLB agreements, the CCBL teams are required to use Major League Baseball Properties-licensed vendors to manufacture the team uniforms and other products in order to maintain trademark consistency and quality control, and to ensure MLBP does not breach its contracts with its licensees.  Major League Baseball is a long-time supporter of the CCBL and provides an annual grant to the league.

“We are delighted to continue our affiliation with Major League Baseball that has lasted for more than 40 years for the good of collegiate summer baseball,” said CCBL President Judy Walden Scarafile. “We all worked diligently on this agreement and we feel it is workable and reasonable.”

“Major League Baseball Properties wants nothing more than for the Cape Cod Baseball League to extend the MLB brand by using Major League Club names and logos,” said MLB spokesperson Matt Bourne.  “Our goal was just to make certain that our Clubs’ trademarks are used in a manner that is in compliance with applicable law and in a manner consistent with other agreements.  This resolution assures that will take place.”

Comments

30 Responses to “MLB and Cape League Announce Deal”

  1. barney o'flaherty on August 31st, 2008 5:20 pm

    I read on pappasproductions.com that Hyannis will be changing their nickname. Has anyone else heard about that??

  2. Joseph F. Cavanaugh III on August 31st, 2008 8:12 pm

    I’d like a reference to the law which Mr. Bourne says requires MLB to protect its logos. If it exists, surely it is the work of MLB lobbyists who were paid handsomely for their services. Also, I’ve never fully understood why Harwich is on the “MLB logo list.” As I understand it, the Harwich CCBL team pre-dates the MLB team in Seattle by many years, and they have always been known as the Mariners. Why don’t they just ditch the colors / trademarked insignia, etc.? I also think all of the affected teams should discard the Major League logos en masse, come up with colorful new original names, and then continue to purchase hats, shirts, uniforms, etc., from whomever the CCBL wishes. I also think Mr. Bourne should pay some type of royalty to the Bourne Braves for the use of their first name.

  3. mikey d on August 31st, 2008 9:39 pm

    I heard that this agreement actually covers last season and expires this month.

    MLB should be ashamed of themselves for putting the CCBL through this mindless, legal crap. Now several if not all six teams will change their names for no other reason than to not be told where they can buy their merchandise from and to not pay the 11% royalty fee for merchandise sales.

    Great work, MLB legal department..you must be so proud! Don’t forget to go after the t-ball and little league teams that have the audacity to use your precious “MARKS”

    If there is any kharma out there, the idiot lawyer will get hit by a bus on the way to suing a kindergarten class for trademark infringement.

  4. Patrick Hogan on August 31st, 2008 10:53 pm

    What a disgrace, that MLB which made a profit in the Billions last year, felt compelled to go after a collegiate baseball league, which is integral to the Cape Cod Summer economy, is relatively unknown outside of the hardcore baseball fan community west of I-495. I have attended games the past 2 summers and saw how much the LOCAL Vendors were involved with the sponsorships of the teams. The money that these local business get as a result of uniform & merchandise sale is very important for them. It’s a 2 month season which greatly impacts the bottom line for these local business. What a travesty that some lawyer with nothing better to do decided that MLB might lose out on several thousands of dollars, and as a result they had to go after the CCBL, which gives back in spades to MLB, by providing a venue for MLB scouts to see how potential future stars perform with wooden bats. Bud Selig and MLB are a disgrace. CCBL should tell them to take their logo’s and take a hike. With enough publicity I’m sure the 100,000 GRANT could easily be recouped from other sources. Sadly the hundreds of CCBL alum’s who now play in the Major Leagues have been silent, rather than coming to the aid of the league which in many respects catapaulted them to stardom. What a sad commentary on the GREED of MLB that they hide behind the guise of PROTECTING the quality of the product, that compelled them to insist on MLB products in order to protect the integrity of the BRAND. GIVE ME A BREAK. I saw the Mariners, A’s, Braves, and Red Sox uniforms this season, and they were perfectly fine. If anything, it was a great way for MLB to promote their product. The 10 year old boy or girl who got an autograph from the Y-D Red Sox player, wasn’t thinking, Gee I wonder if that uniform is as good a quality as the one Big Poppy has on. If anything, it would help to further instill a connection by seeing a Y-D Red Sox and identifying that with the team in Boston, and be that much more of a fan. But once again the BOTTOM LINE trumps decency, character, and common sense. MLB should be ashamed of themselves. Lets Hope the Chatham Athletics change their name to the Chatham Arrgh’s ( Think Pirate ) and modify the logo just enough to keep the A’s on the hat but at the same time tell MLB to GO SCRATCH. I normally buy some sort of MLB product either a hat or jersey for my kids each year for the Holidays, That won’t happen this year,I know its a drop in the bucket but if you feel the same disgust as I do. Why not do the same and BOYCOTT MLB products. Patrick Hogan Troy, NY

  5. The Wicker Man on September 3rd, 2008 3:11 pm

    What is the big deal with this? MLB is a bunch of clowns, but that’s nothing new. Why can’t the league merely give a portion of the MLB donation to the teams so they can keep their names and make up for lost revenue? (11% per mikey d).

    Does anyone know if anyone in the League actually gets a commission on MLB’s donation? I ask because it seems the league is more concerned with kissing MLB’s ass instead of supporting the 6 affected franchises.

  6. CapeMan on September 3rd, 2008 8:35 pm

    Wickerman…The issue is larger than revenue; whether we think it is fair or not. MLB not only gives the CCBL cash; not enough in my opinion, but they also support the league in terms of sending their scouts. This is a HUGE factor in terms of attracting talent and thus, keeping the league at the level to which they have become accustomed. Players move onto MLB, the league promotes that fact and the cycle continues.

    I personally would rather see the teams change their names. I’m not crazy about using the MLB names as I think it is rather “little league like”. The “Kettleers”, the “Gatemen”, the “Whitecaps” and the “Commodores” are unique and reflect the Cape Cod Baseball League much better than the “Red Sox”, etc.

  7. Wille on September 3rd, 2008 11:27 pm

    CapeMan is right….

    Let’s hear some name change suggestions

  8. Greg on September 4th, 2008 1:15 am

    The Hyannis Kennedys

    The Y-D Bay Sox

    The Harwich Crabbers

    The Bourne Bridgemen

  9. Dave on September 4th, 2008 8:31 am

    I like the Bay Sox name.

    The Chatham Fog. (If there isn’t still a soccer team with that name.)

    The Orleans Osprey.

    The Harwich Harbormen. (Wychmere, Saquatucket, Allen, etc.)

    The Hyannis Merchants (to tie in with the downtown business district and revitalization project.)

    For Bourne, the canal and the bridges are obvious local tie-ins, but I’m not sure what works. Many years ago, Bourne was known as the Canalmen but that’s the nickname of Bourne HS so they will want to stay away from that. Buzzards ?
    Just kidding. How about the Bourne Tides ?

  10. CapeMan on September 4th, 2008 9:16 am

    The Chatham Hurricanes
    The YD Lobsters
    The Bourne Engineers (RR Bridge tie-in)
    The Hyannis Sailors
    The Orleans Revolution
    The Harwich Harbormen

  11. CapeMan on September 4th, 2008 10:40 am

    Sorry Dave…didn’t see your Harbormen idea….glanced over it. Great minds think alike!!

  12. Andrew Wirtanen on September 4th, 2008 7:00 pm

    - Orleans Red Birds or Orleans Cardinal (if Stanford allows)
    - Bourne Clouters (bring it back!)
    - Hyannis Osprey or Hyannis Tourists (if MiLB will allow [Asheville])
    - Harwich Seadogs (again, if MiLB allows [Portland]) or Harwich Harbormen (good idea)
    - YD Red Stockings (is this too close?) or YD Red Caps
    - Chatham Fog (sounds good to me)

  13. mikey d on September 6th, 2008 11:23 am

    Orleans Cardinal won’t work as Stanford has some kind of agreement w/MLB

    Chatham Fog is perfect

    Hyannis Osprey is good..tourists is lame

    Hyannis Kennedys???? You could raffle off a case of Chivas at every game and have a running around the bases with pants down to ankles contest!

    Bourne Clouters, Bridgeman, Bridges are just plain awful…

    BTW…CCBL teams can’t use Major OR Minor names w/o being held hostage to their extortion.

    I would once again like to express my thanks to the MLB legal eagles for putting the CCBL through so much useless and mindless crap. I would also like to thank the powers that be in the CCBL for thinking more of the league than of the individual franchises….I’m sure they don’t have enough to do already in the offseason as it is:-(

  14. CapeMan on September 6th, 2008 7:12 pm

    By the way, the Wareham Gatemen have posted their early 2009 roster. Looks like it is mostly comprised of players they have invited back.

  15. Wille on September 6th, 2008 8:53 pm

    All these guys should be at the Cape in 2009. They are the only ones to have earned 2008 All America from these four:

    PING, Louisville Slugger, Rivals, and the main one, BaseballAmerica. Ackley and Strasburg would play somewhere until they sign, and same for Kentrail, who will be draft eligible.

    Rick Hague Rice
    Derek Dietrich Georgia Tech
    Stephen Strasburg San Diego State
    Shane Davis Canisius
    Seth Maness East Carolina
    Matt Harvey North Carolina
    Kyle Blair San Diego
    Chris Hernandez Miami
    Chance Ruffin Texas
    Kevin Rhoderick Oregon State
    Chase Dempsay Houston
    Ryan Lockwood South Florida
    Michael Choice Texas-Arlington
    Kentrail Davis Tennessee
    Brian Fletcher Auburn
    Ben Klafczynski Kent State
    Scott Woodward Coastal Carolina
    Josh Adams Florida
    Jedd Gyorko West Virginia
    Hunter Morris Auburn
    Dustin Ackley North Carolina

    ****Also heard Hyannis signed Eddie Rohan from Winthrop who can rake it.

  16. The Wicker Man on September 9th, 2008 11:33 am

    If you ask me, MLB needs the Cape League more than the Cape League needs MLB. Where else in the Northeast can teams send all their scouts on one central location to see the best collection of amateurs? MLB is a joke, and if this ‘agreement’ is the best the CCBL could come up with, its just shameful on their part, too.

    Clearly, the league is concerned with the league, not the franchises.

    Its fun speculating on the names, but a high ranking Bourne person told me that Bridgemen was the likely name. Puke.

  17. Dave on September 9th, 2008 4:42 pm

    Bridgemen would be an awful choice. Hopefully they re-think that. Are they going to have a bridge as the logo on their caps? Not only that, but the “men” part makes it a little too similar to the Gatemen. At least Gatemen makes sense since Wareham advertises itself as the “Gateway to Cape Cod.” Say “No” to Bridgemen!!

  18. Greg on September 9th, 2008 8:05 pm

    Sorry, friends, I disagree. Bridgemen seems like a great choice to me. I love the Gatemen v Bridgemen matchup. And I trust the locals to pick the right name for their team.

  19. The Wicker Man on September 10th, 2008 1:53 pm

    How about “Bridge Trolls”? That sounds kind of cool.

  20. Backstop on September 13th, 2008 11:41 am

    Bourne will not be named the “Bridgemen”.

  21. Wille on September 13th, 2008 10:28 pm

    Explorers
    Buzzards
    Beavers
    Bombers
    Blacksmiths

  22. Dave on September 15th, 2008 9:56 pm

    I vote for Buzzards. Back on 9/4 I mentioned Buzzards but said “just kidding.” At the time, I was kidding, but it actually wouldn’t be bad with the obvious tie-in to Buzzards Bay. It may not be a majestic bird, but you could make a buzzard logo work.
    Glad to see Backstop say they will not be the Bridgemen. That would be awful.
    Until we know for sure what is going to happen, this is all fun conjecture. There have been some pretty good ideas tossed around. Let’s see what the marketing minds come up with.

  23. Wille on September 18th, 2008 12:21 pm

    Okay, I vote for Bourne Bayhawks. The settlers thought the birds in Buzzards Bay were just that, but they were Osprey, which also go by Bayhawk…………

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

  24. Dave on September 18th, 2008 12:43 pm

    Willie, you didn’t list Bayhawks among the other five names you tossed around earlier. If you had, I would have “voted” for that one right then! Bayhawks would be a great name. I suggest you pass that on to someone in the Bourne organization. “Bourne Bayhawks” sounds good and makes for good logo possibilities for marketing purposes.

  25. Wille on September 18th, 2008 12:54 pm

    The bayhawk is white, black, and some vegas gold mixed in. Not a bad color scheme for logo and uniforms also.

    The Bourne Bayhawks would be a nickname that has relevance to the area and can provide a whole new generation of fans a fresh start, as well as merchandise marketing.

  26. Dave on September 18th, 2008 2:58 pm

    I agree. I really think that would be a great nickname. You are right about the relevance to the area. It “sounds” good when you say it, and there are very good possibilities for logo designs and marketing with that color scheme. Good job, Willie! I think you picked a winner. Now we’ll have to wait to see what the folks in the Bourne organization decide on.

  27. Greg on September 18th, 2008 4:30 pm

    I really like Bay Hawks. I had suggested Bay Sox for the Y-D team

  28. Backstop on September 19th, 2008 5:56 pm

    “Bayhawks” isn’t bad, actually.

  29. Andrew on September 20th, 2008 11:08 am

    MiLB has a team called the Bowie BaySox, so that probably can’t be used… http://www.baysox.com/

  30. Wille on September 24th, 2008 2:39 pm

    Harwich
    Bourne
    Chatham
    YD

    —-suspended online merchandise sales

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