An iconic Toronto bar promoted a Blue Jays watch party on Instagram. Then came a cease-and-desist letter
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Blue Jays signage outside a bar in downtown Toronto, on Tuesday.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
An iconic Toronto dive bar and live music venue says it has received a cease-and-desist letter from the Toronto Blue Jays alleging that images and logos used in its recent Instagram post promoting playoff watch parties infringed on the team’s trademark rights.
The Instagram post, shared on Sneaky Dee’s account Monday, featured images of Blue Jays players in uniform with the club’s official logo in the top right corner under the headline “Game 7.” The graphic invited customers to watch the finale of the American League Championship Series on TVs at Sneaky Dee’s, promoting half-priced food and drinks. The following day, the Blue Jays club contacted the bar with a cease-and-desist notice.
George Diamantouros, general manager at Sneaky Dee’s, said the post was only meant to support the team and let customers know that the bar would be showing Game 7.
“We don’t have any ill will. We just want our people to know we support the Jays,” Mr. Diamantouros said. “We took the post down right away because we don’t want to stir up trouble.”
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In an e-mailed statement to The Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays organization said it is “incredibly grateful for the support of local businesses celebrating the Blue Jays return to the World Series, including hosting fans for watch parties,” but added, “Blue Jays marks, including logo and player images, can only be used for promotional purposes by official club partners, which is standard practice across the sporting and advertising industries.”
At first glance, Mr. Diamantouros said he thought the cease-and-desist letter was a prank. But once he realized it was real, the Toronto native said the move felt disheartening.
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He recalled being at the 1992 World Series, watching the Toronto Blue Jays face the Atlanta Braves. “As a long-time fan, it’s a little bit upsetting,” he said. “We weren’t trying to ruffle any feathers. We’re just fans letting people know we’re showing the game.”
Sneaky Dee’s, known for hosting punk shows and serving Tex-Mex dishes, shared the letter publicly to warn other small businesses to be careful in how they promote their watch parties.
“We’d like to advise everyone to NOT use the Blue Jays logo to avoid potential legal action,” Sneaky Dee’s said in its Instagram post.
Mr. Diamantouros added that the Jays’ playoff run has brought some much-needed energy to small businesses still finding their footing after the pandemic.
“I don’t think we’re taking away business from Rogers or the Blue Jays,” he said. “If anything, it just creates more excitement.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a statement from the Blue Jays organization. This version has been corrected.
