Baseball team sues Disney, claims Pickles in 'Win or Lose' violates their trademark

The West Coast League season has yet to begin for aspiring college players looking to latch on with a team in the summer wood-bat league. Regardless of who plays for Portland Pickles, and how they perform on the field, they’ve already made headlines—just not the kind involving box scores or batting averages.

Wednesday, the team filed an 18-page federal lawsuit against Disney, accusing the media giant of trademark infringement.

More news: Red Sox owner meets with disgruntled $314 million star

At the heart of the complaint: Win or Lose, Pixar’s new animated series on Disney+, which stars a co-ed middle school softball team also called “The Pickles.” That name, plus a green smiling pickle on merchandise, has drawn the ire of Rose City Baseball LLC, the Pickles’ parent company.

"As explained in the lawsuit recently filed against Disney, the Portland Pickles are taking action to eliminate confusion in the marketplace caused by unauthorized use of our trademarked logos on merchandise," the team said in a statement. "Fueled by incredible support from our fans and community members from all walks of life, we felt we had no choice but to protect our rights—not just for ourselves, but on behalf of the little guy. We may not have limitless resources, but we have something equally powerful: an unwavering belief in defending what we've created and a determination to prevent our creative marks from being exploited without consequence."

More news: FTX lawsuit that ensnared Tom Brady, Shohei Ohtani, Steph Curry moves forward — barely

Filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon, the suit alleges Disney “leveraged their outsized market power” to co-opt a brand that has spent more than a decade cultivating its identity in Portland’s quirky baseball culture.

The Pickles claim the show’s branding—including team name, mascot style, and logo—bears an uncomfortable resemblance to their own.

More news: MLB agent confirms client has $100 million endorsement portfolio

Win or Lose marks Pixar’s first original long-form series and debuted February 19. Disney has marketed merchandise tied to the series' fictional Peaks Valley Pickles, including shirts featuring a cartoonish green pickle.

Home/Sports Media