A contest in underway in New Britain (CT) to name the new or relocating Atlantic League franchise that is coming to town starting in 2016. Read more here.
Name-the-Team Contest Launched in New Britain
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Unicorns, Leprechauns and Team Naming Contests. Put all your money on the Bees….
TD,
“Bees” would be a dumb move. First, we already have the Salt Lakes Bees (Triple-A, Pacific Coast League), so forget originality here. Second, the Salt Lake team has already trademarked “Bees” for multiple categories. While New Britain could still name the team the “New Britain Bees” and use the full name on merchandise, they could never just use “Bees” without violating an existing trademark. (This is not legal advice. The New Britain club should seek their own legal counsel on the matter.) So why create a potential headache?
We already have the Willmar Stingers (Summer Collegiate, Northwoods League), so forget originality here too.
Two other finalists, the New Britain Hard Hitters and New Britain Hammer, are just bad.
By mere default, I would probably have to go with the remaining New Britain Hornets. Yawn.
Alan
Agree with everything you say, your talking as a lawyer, I agree as a brand manager, but the Bees are fait accompli.
TD,
Thanks for the reply. If this is the direction they are going to go, they should really reconsider. As you might recall, the Salt Lake Buzz (now Bees) were sued by Georgia Tech about 15 years ago for using Buzz, which is the name of their mascot:
http://www.ramblinwreck.com/genrel/100201aaa.html
In a settlement, the Buzz changed their name to Stingers and paid the university $600,000 after a three-year legal battle. Whether you think you could win a lawsuit or not, why would you take the risk? It’s not like you would be dealing with a high school here. You could end up in a legal fight a Triple-A Club and MiLB. Maybe they could even bring the weight of MLB Properties, but I am not sure of their scope.
Alan
Here is the latest in the name-the-team contest:
http://www.centralctcommunications.com/newbritainherald/article_8f4b1a6e-7ddd-11e5-8f47-d7fafc169477.html
Alan