Cleveland Guardians Baseball Team and Roller Derby Team Resolve Trademark Lawsuit

The Cleveland Guardians baseball team and the Cleveland Guardians roller derby team this morning jointly announced the trademark lawsuit brought by the roller derby team earlier this year over the name has been put to bed.

"[The sides] are pleased to announce an amicable resolution, whereby both organizations will continue to use the Guardians name," a Guardians/Indians spokesperson said in a statement.

The roller derby team, in a federal lawsuit filed in October, alleged the MLB team's name change stepped on its protected rights to use the name. It also alleged the MLB team offered a check in the four figures for the roller derby team's intellectual property, and when that offer was rejected, went ahead with announcing the official name change, complete with a video narrated by Tom Hanks, anyway.

The roller derby team had engaged the MLB organization in further talks, which broke down the day before the lawsuit was filed.

Whatever the monetary compensation delivered to end the legal affair and  avoid any further embarrassment, it's likely higher than whatever the Guardians/Indians had originally been offering.

According to multiple reports, new Guardians MLB merchandise was set to hit shelves yesterday morning, but the debut was delayed without explanation.

With the lawsuit settled — though no official filing has yet been registered with the court — that merchandise will begin to flow freely, just in time for holiday shopping.