“Overwatch League” was the biggest announcement Blizzard did in the entire eSports scene. Following its reveal, the studio barely followed up on anything related to the tournament. This made players and, most notably, franchise owners doubt the competition’s very existence.
Fortunately, the studio went to officially launch “Overwatch League,” announcing the first teams involved. This became one of the biggest milestones of the company, as they finally made something unique in the eSports scene. However, the League is currently facing a massive roadblock courtesy of Major League Baseball.
The issue with the League’s trademark
According to PVP Live, Major League Baseball is challenging Blizzard’s trademark on the “Overwatch League” logo. The latter was reportedly published in the Trademark and Trial Board’s weekly Gazette last March 28th. But came April 27th, MLB went to file their opposition involving the granting of said trademark. They even requested a 90-day extension from the board. Thus they have until July 26th to file the formal opposition to the aforesaid logo.
Without a doubt, both MLB and Blizzard’s eSports League share the same similarities in the logo. They both contain the term “league,” which is obviously part of their wordmarks. There is also a performer in the middle, dividing the colors that contrast with each other.
For MLB, though, the performer is a white silhouette of a baseball player; whereas the video game company has Tracer on it. They may differ on this very department, but the concept and the elements somehow offer the same approach.
The other similarities and differences
In terms of primary colors, the “Overwatch League” and Major League Baseball logos are different.
MLB utilizes various combinations of colors, though, in their respective uniforms as well as the merchandises under the league. As a result, the MLB logo does not clash with a particular team’s color. The San Francisco Giants, for instance: they use a combination of orange and black. However, this color scheme is somewhat similar to Blizzard’s eSports league logo.
It should be noted, however, that the challenge MLB proposed does not force Blizzard to change the “Overwatch League” logo. Settlements do happen between legal entities over these types of disputes anyway. It is just interesting that MLB also challenged the trademark of Major League Dabbling, resulting in a dispute (though currently pending). There is no doubt that both parties will go for a settlement, which will be filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. With the deadline being on July 26th, more about MLB’s opposition should rise any time after that day.
