The US Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge by Roberto Clemente's sons to Puerto Rico's use of the baseball great's image on commemorative license plates and vehicle registration tags, which they alleged violates constitutional protections against government taking of trademark rights.
Clemente, a Puerto Rico native, played for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates for 18 seasons from 1955 to 1972. He was a 15-time All-Star right fielder and two-time World Series champion in a career that earned him induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and a statue outside the team's stadium. He died at age 38 in a 1972 airplane crash while delivering humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
The suit, which claimed the use of the likeness generated $15 million for Puerto Rico, seeks to block any use of their father's likeness on license plates and tags and obtain $45 million in damages and $3.15 million in compensation for trademark infringement.
As I read this, I thought "follow the money." Does the family really care or is it the money? What an honor to have this man on the license plate!
ReplyDeleteprobably a bit of copyright and trademark to start, but then, realizing Puerto Rico made $15 million from these,... then I suppose they family insisted that THAT money and the infringement, be made right. I agree. I disagree on their assessment of damages, I think no damages were inflicted on Roberto Clemente's marketing or whatever, and I do think that a penalty SHOULD be inflicted to drive the point home, DO NOT TREAD ON ME... in my way of thinking. A million would suffice, and then donate that to homeless or pet shelter charities.
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