For the past 41 years, Philadelphia Phillies fans have been entertained by the Phillie Phanatic, the team’s green and furry mascot. A new federal lawsuit leaves the Phanatic’s future with the team in doubt.
On August 2, the Phillies filed a copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District for the Southern District of New York. The club is suing a group of defendants who assert that they are the rightful creators of the Phanatic and who, according to the Phillies, demand “millions of dollars” from the club. As the Phillies tell it, they’ve been threatened that if they don’t pay up, the Phanatic will be declared a “free agent”—meaning, at least in theory, another club could negotiate to use the costume.