When trying to create a buzz about a sports team, it helps to have a memorable look.
But a look adopted by a baseball team reminded the Georgia Institute of Technology too much of its own mascot, leading to a dispute that landed in federal court.
Since 1993, the Salt Lake Buzz, a Triple-A farm team for the Minnesota Twins, has used a bee mascot named “Buzz” that looks similar to Georgia Tech’s yellow-jacket mascot, also named “Buzz.” The university has owned the trademark on its mascot since 1988.
Georgia Tech officials learned of the similarity at a sports-merchandising show in Atlanta two years ago. Lawyers for the institute later met with a team official, who agreed that the Buzz would change its name after the season, according to court documents.
But the Salt Lake Buzz’s lawyer, Gregory D. Phillips, said there was never an agreement.
At the beginning of the 1998 season, the Salt Lake Buzz sued in federal court in Utah to keep its name. It lost the suit in May 1998, and last month lost an appeal.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech has filed a countersuit in federal court in Atlanta, seeking monetary damages and an injunction to stop the team from using the name and the mascot. That suit is pending.
Mr. Phillips said that Georgia Tech’s trademark on the name “Buzz” does not necessarily preclude his team from using the name and mascot, too.
“Georgia Tech might think their mascot is famous, [but] no one here has ever heard of them,” he said. “No one ever showed up at a game out here expecting to see a Georgia Tech game, and no one ever showed up out there looking to go to a Salt Lake Buzz game.”
http://chronicle.com Section: Money & Management Page: A41
