News + Events
Atlanta partners involved in baseballer J-Hey federal lawsuit
May 26, 2010
Mix one of baseball’s rising young stars, Atlanta Braves’ outfielder “J-Hey” Jason Heyward, a children’s charity and a Web retailer called Sportscrack, and you get one big federal lawsuit.
Atlanta partners Mike Hobbs and John Bowler’s involvement in the case recently garnered them press in a May 26 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.
As stated in the article, L.E.A.D. Inc., an Atlanta non-profit that focuses on inner-city youths interested in baseball, is suing Sportscrack and its owner, Matthew Fairchild, for trademark infringement over its use of nicknames for baseballer Heyward. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court, Fairchild has been selling jerseys without authorization emblazoned with “J-Hey Fever” and “Heymaker” through his company Web sites.
The co-founders of L.E.A.D., C.J. Stewart, himself an ex-major leaguer, and his wife, along with the legal assistance of Hobbs and Bowler, are seeking an order barring Fairchild from selling the shirts, plus monetary damages. Fairchild claims he hasn’t violated any laws, that it was he who created the “J-Hey” nickname, that nicknames cannot be trademarked, and that there’s no case unless a trademark exists.
Hobbs stated that Heyward has established rights to his nickname and that Fairchild is “way off track in terms of his understanding of the law.”