The Atlanta Braves are suing a Marietta taxi company the team said is infringing on its trademark.
The Braves filed the lawsuit in federal court on Nov. 1, naming both the company and its owner individually. The suit claims the company's logo and use of tomahawk on its vehicles are too close to the team's protected trademarks.
“Defendants are intentionally freeriding on the success and popularity of the Atlanta Braves by brazenly copying the Atlanta Braves’ trademarks and trade dress, in an effort to dupe unwitting fans or other Atlantans,” part of the suit reads.
The attorney for the company, Braves Taxi, denied many of the allegations in a court filing Monday but was not available for comment that day or Tuesday. The taxi company owner was out of state for an emergency Tuesday and unavailable.
READ | As another season passes, Cobb in dark about final Braves stadium cost
The Braves argued in the filing that the taxi company is “inflicting irreparable harm to the goodwill symbolized by the Braves’ marks.”
In the response filed in court Monday, the taxi company denied it had “closely mimicked or identically reproduced” the Braves markings in its fleet.
A Braves spokeswoman declined to comment, and attorneys representing the team referred questions to a Major League Baseball spokesman who also declined comment.
Credit: United State District Court for Northern Georgia
Credit: United State District Court for Northern Georgia
The lawsuit also mentions the Braves “extensive sponsorship agreement” with Uber to provide all ride-sharing to and from the stadium.
The team said in the suit that the taxi company started operating “virtually in the shadow of SunTrust Park.”
The taxi company's website mentions airport rides but not specifically taking people to baseball games.
Records show the taxi business was registered with the state in 2015, a couple of years before the stadium opened, but its website says the company has been operating since 2001.
READ | The quirkiest SunTrust Park rules and regulations you don't know about
The team is asking for a jury trial but didn’t request specific monetary damages.
The Braves, which Forbes estimates is worth $1.6 billion, said it notified the company about the alleged infringement before filing the lawsuit.
A next court date was not listed in the federal legal database Tuesday.
Like Cobb County News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
About the Author
