WooSox avoid a court fight over 'W' logo
Photo | Courtesy of Worcester Red Sox
The Wareham Gatemen ball club say the Woo Sox baseball cap looks a lot like their team's hat.
Play ball, there won’t be a lawsuit after all.
One day after a Wareham ball club threatened to sue the Worcester Red Sox over use of their patented “W” on its Woo Sox hats, the Cape Cod team decided not to file suit.
“I spoke with the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday, and we resolved the matter in principle,” Glen Hannington, senior vice president of the Wareham Gatemen, told the WBJ. “It was a very friendly discussion. We want them to succeed, and we wish them the very best. Our goal is to maintain as good a relationship with the Worcester team as we’ve had with the Pawtucket Red Sox.”
Hannington declined to say who he spoke with, but said the tentative agreement does not involve payment of cash to the Wareham club.
Worcester Red Sox President Charles Steinberg said he is unaware of anyone from the WooSox organization who has been in touch with the Cape Cod League.
“We love them, and will continue to support the league as we have throughout the years,” Steinberg said.
In a text message, Worcester Red Sox Chairman Larry Lucchino said, “We vetted (the "W" logo) with Major League Baseball, and our legal team in advance.”
He declined further comment.
The Boston Herald was the first to report the possible legal challenge.
Hannington said the idea to file a legal claim started three weeks when he and his wife were visiting Sebastian, Fla.
“I spotted a woman in her 60s wearing a baseball cap with a “W” on it and said, ‘Hey, Gatemen fan,’" he said. "She said ‘No, I’m a WooSox fan.’”
Last week, Hannington showed a picture he took of the woman with the distinctive “W” on her hat at a Gatemen board meeting. That’s when talk of the suit was raised, he said.
“We plan to talk to the Woo Sox after the holiday,” he said. “But there will not be a lawsuit.”
On Monday night, the Worcester Red Sox unveiled their smiley face logo and confirmed the WooSox nickname.
The team is expected to move to a new $101-million municipal stadium in the Canal District in 2021.
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