What do you think of when someone says the word "brave"? That may seem like a silly question, but for the Atlanta Braves, it's one that might be worth going to court over.
The Braves are reportedly engaged in a trademark dispute with Pixar Animation Studios — and therefore Pixar's parent company, Walt Disney — over the name of their latest movie.
Pixar's next movie that is expected to hit theaters this summer is named Brave, which was a change from the original title of the film, The Bear and the Bow. The studio opted to rename the movie in March, causing some drama with the team.
According to Stitch Kingdom, a Disney-focused blog, the Braves filed an objection to Pixar's request for a trademark to the film. Now, the two sides appear to be engaged in private negotiations to sort everything out.
While there may appear to be a pretty sizeable difference between a baseball team named after Native Americans and a CGI movie about an Irish princess, the report goes on to explain why the Braves actually have legal encouragement to pursue the matter.
"Companies must actively police and enforce their trademarks and take all reasonable action to protect them," the blog explains, "otherwise the trademark may be considered abandoned and thrown into the public domain."
So, to ensure that their name doesn't fall by the wayside the same way that "zipper" or "aspirin" have, the baseball Braves may feel like they have no choice but to press on. Anything to take the attention off of their late-season collapse, right?
