A beloved Toronto bar issued a warning to its fellow small businesses against using the Blue Jays logo in their social media posts and advertisements after the threat of legal action from the team.
Blue Jays fever has swept the city following the baseball team’s first ALCS victory in over 30 years, securing their spot in the 2025 World Series.
It’s a thrilling time for fans and businesses alike, as local restaurants and bars prepare for an onslaught of patronage once the World Series kicks off in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 24.
But, as one bar in the city recently learned, all that excitement can quickly land you in a sticky situation.
Little Italy’s iconic Sneaky Dee’s has been around since 1987: long enough to have served fans back when the Blue Jays secured their first and second World Series wins in 1992 and 1993, but, when it comes to this year’s potential looming championship, they nearly learned the hard way that capitalizing on all the baseball buzz can come with a price.
On Tuesday, Oct. 21, the bar posted a screenshot of an email from a representative of the Blue Jays that had received, informing Sneaky Dee’s that their use of “Blue Jays marks” in “promotional activity in market,” asking for the immediate discontinuation of use and removal of said marks from the bar’s promotional marketing.
“The use of Toronto Blue Jays marks to facilitate promotions and sales is a violation of Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership common law trademark rights, common law trademark rights and this email constitutes Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership’s request that you discontinue use,” the notice reads.
Rather than express frustration or rage at the legal request, Sneaky Dee’s took the warning as an opportunity to inform its “fellow family-owned restaurants and bars” of the potential risks of using the Blue Jays marks, like the team logo and player photos in their own promotional materials.
“Though showing Jays game and bringing people together during this exciting time in our city is great, we’d like to advise everyone to NOT use the Blue Jays logo to avoid potential legal action,” Sneaky Dee’s writes in the caption of the post.
“It’s easy to get caught up as small business owners and fans, but there are legalities and consequences to consider.”
Sneaky Dee’s is quick to note that, despite the speed bump, they’ll still most definitely be screening the World Series at their bar. You just won’t see it advertised using the team’s logo from here on out.
The Toronto Blue Jays explain in a statement made to blogTO that barring the use of official brand marks by businesses outside of the club and its partners isn’t actually out of the ordinary.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of local businesses celebrating the Blue Jays’ return to the World Series, including hosting fans for watch parties. 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,” they explain.
That said, “We are looking forward to continuing to celebrate this historic run with Blue Jays fans and businesses across the country,” the team adds
