Seems the logos are just too similar
Last week the Overwatch League finally started to take shape. They announced their first seven teams, some of them even owned by traditional sports team owners, so it’s clear people with the capital are willing to back this venture.
Blizzard might be running into trouble regarding the Overwatch League’s logo. According to the Morrison/Lee law firm blog, Major League Baseballis getting ready to oppose the trademark registration for the League.
“Once trademarks are approved, they’re published in the Official Gazette. This is essentially a weekly newsletter by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Upon publication, other parties who believe they may be harmed by the impending registration of the mark have 30 days to file one of two things with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (‘TTAB’): an opposition to the trademarkora request for more time to file that opposition. If neither of these are filed or if an opposition is unsuccessful, the application will move to the next stage of the registration process without issue. If one of these is filed, however, the TTAB takes the reigns.”
They go on to explain that just one day before the 30-day deadline, the MLB requested an extension to oppose the logo. They took issue with the logo’s likeness to their own and needed an additional90 days to investigate and confer with counsel.
That request was granted the same day, which the blog believes is noteworthy, as these things tend to take a long time at the Trademark office.
The deadline for filing the oppositionis July 26.
It is strange that the MLB would choose to protest Overwatch‘s logo when so many other organizationshave similar logos. Like the NBA, for example. More falling into line with video games, Major League Gaming’s logo is just as similar — even more so, as it uses the same color scheme).
Major League Baseball set to oppose the Overwatch League logo trademark [PC Gamer]