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Stinky Sox snarl over StinkySocks

Peter Gelzinis reports how the Olde Town Team is threatening legal action against some Dorchester guy who runs an adult hockey league in the Boston area called StinkySocks Hockey.

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His logo uses the color and font of the Red Sox...of COURSE they're going to have a problem with it. Of COURSE they're going to think he's tying his name to their brand at that point too.

Manderino said. “We happen to be a small business looking to be innovative in what we do.”

That logo is as innovative as an 8-year old drawing a Superman shield logo and saying it's S for Super Steve because their name is Steve.

Also, he's now going to have a thousands of dollars legal fight and his justification is that he doesn't want to pay thousands of dollars to get newly branded gear for the league(s)? That's a priority problem right there.

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Looks like John Henry and The Sox PR Department have discovered Universal Hub. Welcome!

John, we have something in common. I am the original SoBo Yuppie and you are the original Red Sox Yuppie.

Thank you for gentrifying the Sox. Thank you for the most expensive tickets in all of baseball. Pricing out the middle class means my GF and I can enjoy a game without drunken townies falling over each other. Thank you for upgrading the concession stands to serve sushi and wine.

- The original SoBo Yuppie

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Are you mad? I've been here for over 6 years with this account. By not logging in, we can't even tell if you're the original anything. By logging in, I have a post history that makes your entire comment inane.

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Thank you, Cliffy Clavin.

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The Sox do not offer the most expensive ticket in baseball. Three guesses who does. The Sox aren't even in second place.

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http://www.thestreet.com/story/12667513/11/10-most-expensive-tickets-in-...

I meant average ticket price. Most expensive tickets but have a last place team...LOL.

I really don't care though. Fenway is cool to hang out in.

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It's pretty easy to get into Sox games for less than $15 per ticket this year.

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They don't seem to mind the t-shirt vendors hawking shirts with similar colors and fonts or the guys that deceptively sell terribly written 2nd rate programs like they're "official" that set up around Fenway, but they'll go after a recreational hockey league that is not violating any trademark or copyright laws whatsoever. At the very least, if what they're trying to argue were to be true (which it's not), it would easily fall under parody and still be fair game. Not that it matters, because they could bankrupt the league just by tying it up in litigation for as long as they want, of course.

Trust me, nobody is going to think your shitty baseball team is any worse than it is (that's not humanly possible right now) because a local rec hockey league using a hockey-related term for the name also has one of the same words in its name as you (which they don't spell Sox, further defeating any trademark or copyright argument), uses the same color scheme as you (and you know, the Revolution, the Pats, the Cleveland Indians, the high school a town over from where I grew up, and AMERICA), and an admittedly similar font that is used EVERYWHERE in this city without any cries of foul (pun intended).

Going from worst to first to worst while teams like the A's and Royals are riding high is more than enough to remind everyone how shitty you are, and a bush league move like this is the only way you could possibly get any worse. You should probably be worrying more about your roster and how a team whose salary is half of yours is on top of baseball, and just borrowed your Ace to make a run at the title you stopped defending in June.

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He applied for a trademark for his league using the same exact script that the Red Sox use.

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/534448962/newlogo.jpg)

IMAGE(http://cf.juggle-images.com/matte/white/280x280/boston-red-sox-script-logo-2-primary.jpg)

Those shirt vendors, etc. don't try and get the government to say "this is a symbol that represents your brand and your brand alone". It's also not parody. Parody would be what protects most of those t-shirts, like this one: http://www.justteezing.com/View/Boston-Red-Sox-Gar...

He isn't parodying the Red Sox (and he actually gives up any chance at calling it parody by trying to justify the name as not about the Sox). Also, the Sox aren't telling him to change his name. They're just refuting his trademark application. They haven't told him to change anything...they've just said they're going to stand in his way of being able to trademark it, so anyone else could open StinkySocks Hockey and he can't do anything about it.

Finally, the article even says they took this action when he filed for trademark last year in October when the team was busy winning the World Series. So, this isn't about their current state of affairs at all. They'd do this even if they were winning it all...because that's actually how it happened.

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This bullshit will be tossed out in court. Parody is permissible.

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First off, it's not the same font, its a variant. The curvature and tips of the "S" alone give that away. If it were the actual font, they would have a case there, because most pro sports (and really any corporation's) fonts are custom designed for teams and are their intellectual property. Unless someone is trying to pass that font off on fake Red Sox merchandise, fair game. Another example is Apple, which owns a variant (actually a few) of Myriad, and uses it for marketing, press releases, etc. If I start Pear Computers and use a standard Myriad font for that, tough luck guys.

Second, not only do some shirt vendors try to do that, some actually have. Here is the trademarked logo of Dirty Water Tees (nothing against them, they make great stuff)

Third, I said if the Sox want to stand by the "they felt the name, StinkySocks, was disparaging of their brand” then a simple argument for parody could be made as a retort.

Fourth, the article clearly states the team is using the block as a way to force them to change not only their logo, but colors and name.

Finally, the fact that they did it then is even worse. The year they were all about Boston, and the community, and the city. Their own employees play in that league, as well as first responders, medical personnel, and anyone else with an irregular schedule. Nobody is going to confuse Stinky Socks and the Sox being terrible, nor are they going to think the league is taking a shot at the team, nor would that actually sway anyone dumb enough to see it and think it was a shot at them's opinion of the team.

My professional life is PR, marketing, and communications. Cases like this in the big picture definitely have merit, and it is an important protection for companies large and small. If this were a baseball or softball league, and outside of their own community, then maybe there would be a bit more merit. But there are also some instances where you just have to let it go. This would be one of them

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jeter sucks arod swallows were good shirts but I don't remember the font. i'm surprised those guys weren't upset about those shirts.

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in last place? are they charging $200 for a seat to $10 for a beer? If so, they ought to be sued.

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Red Sox games are expensive. The beer is expensive. Guess what? You don't have to go. I sure didn't hear anyone complaining last October.

Boston...home of the most spoiled, fair-weather fans in sports. Just wait, if the Pats happen to lose a game or two in Sept., the "time to get rid of Brady/Belichick" morons will be out in full-force.

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Than your pontificating.

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and could not care less. I have a life. Are you one of those people that describes team wins and losses with "we" won or "we" played hard all while wearing that $200 player shirt from the "pro" shop? That ubitquitous sports radio caller that starts his call with the ahhhhhhhhhh?

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