According to the CEO of Charged Up Entertainment and local hip hop legend, Noah Oddo, the Cleveland Guardians have accused the company of infringing on their team’s new logo. Oddo stated that the Cleveland Guardians’ lawyers contacted him and demanded that he give up the Charged Up logo or relinquish his legal rights to protect the brand. Oddo claims that the Cleveland Guardians’ claim is baseless, as Charged Up Entertainment has been using its logo since 2015 and has never received any complaints about confusion in the marketplace.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has approved the mark to move forward, but the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Club has filed an objection to the request to trademark the Charged Up Entertainment logo, which has been in use since 2015.
The Cleveland Guardians’ logo is reportedly a simple varsity “C,” while the Charged Up logo is a “C” with different lines and a lightning bolt, according to Oddo.
Charged Up Entertainment “C” VS Cleveland Guardians “C”
The original filing on July 21, 2022 states the following:
The Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company, LLC is opposing the registration of the mark C and Design by Charged Up Entertainment Intl LLC in International Class 25 for “Hats; Pants; Sweatshirts; T-shirts; Ski masks” based on the allegation that the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company has been using similar marks in connection with baseball games and exhibition services and a wide variety of goods and services, including clothing, toys, sporting goods, and novelty items, for a long time prior to January 25, 2019, the claimed first use date of Charged Up Entertainment.
The Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company owns federal registrations and applications for their marks in various classes, including International Classes 9, 14, 16, 18, 21, 25, 28, and 41, and an Ohio registration in Class 25. The company has also promoted and advertised the sale and distribution of goods and services bearing their marks and offered such goods and services in commerce.
The Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company believes that the registration of Charged Up Entertainment’s mark will cause confusion, mistake, or deception among consumers, dilute the distinctiveness of their marks, and cause damage to their reputation and goodwill.
Here is a link to the paperwork : HERE
It is also not clear what the resolution of the case may be. It is possible that the court may rule in favor of either party, or that a settlement may be reached outside of court. It is worth noting that the Cleveland Guardians have not yet commented on the situation, so it is difficult to provide a more detailed picture of what is happening. This is case is ongoing and we will keep you updated.
