MLB Orders Cease and Desist of 4 Fan Web Sites

This summer, with baseball seemingly consumed by the just-resolved labor dispute, the two superfans were stunned when Major League Baseball tried to bench their sites and hose of at least two other fans. Bob Andelman, creator of a Tampa Bay Devil Rays site, responded to the cease and desist letter he received with a disclaimer: "As you might guess, this Web site is not endorsed, enlightened or encouraged by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, its owners, management, players, or even Mac, the dancing groundskeeper." Hoch, on the other hand, became the Patrick Henry of cyberspace fan sites, opting for the death of his site rather than surrender his perceived liberty of content. It's business, not personal, baseball officials said. They moved against the four Web sites over the alleged use of team logos or trademarks to draw site traffic or turn a profit. "We encourage fans to speak about baseball and to produce Web sites," said Ethan Orlinsky, senior vice president and general counsel for Major League Baseball Properties. "We're simply asking they do it within the confines of the law." The recipients of the letters sent in July and August take a different view: It was like Roger Clemens firing fastballs at kids from the Harlem Little League. Ray Kerby of http://www.Astrosdaily.com said Major League Baseball Properties was upset by a display of vintage Astros logos he had in a history section on the site. He was going to fold his site, but a flood of supportive phone calls changed his mind. Full Article: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=528&ncid=528&e=1&u=/ ap/20020901/ap_on_hi_te/baseball_fan_sites_1 © Copyright 2000-2003 Electric Sheep Inc. All Rights Reserved