Warner Bros have confirmed they will permit the use of the name ‘Tasmanian Devils’ for our state’s new AFL team, according to Seven.
They say the Tasmanian Devil is an ‘iconic Looney Tunes character’ and Warner Brothers ‘appreciates the AFL’s acknowledgement and respect’ of their trademark, explaining they are looking forward to a “happy solution” shortly.
Legal battle over Tasmanian AFL team name
The AFL is facing a legal battle with production giant Warner Brothers over the nickname for the new team in Tasmania.
The studio has the commercial rights to the phrase “Tasmanian Devil”, which is also the name of a cartoon character developed by the company in the 1950s.
While Tasmania’s under 18 team currently uses the Devil’s name without the need to profit from merchandise, experts say the AFL’s newest team and potential nickname could run into trouble.
Copyright lawyer Justin Lawrence says the AFL is big business, with a range of merchandise, including caps, t-shirts, shorts, and jumpers – and therefore Tasmania needs to distinguish itself clearly from the cartoon character to avoid any legal issues.
Andrew Dillon, incoming CEO of the AFL, says he is aware of the issue – and has expressed his belief that the name for the Tasmanian team should be owned by the people of Tasmania.
The Hobart Devils and Hobart Tassie Devils were a part of the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1983-1995, with a brief return in 1996.
After the franchise’s final season, Warner Brothers were quick to trademark the name Tasmanian Devil in 1997.
When the NBL announced that Tasmania would be returning to the league in 2021, the name ‘Tassie Devils‘ was unavailable due to an AFL trademark application filed with the Federal Government in 2019.
The AFL intended to use the name for a potential VFL side from Tasmania, but instead used it for an under-18s side named the Tasmania Devils.
The final determination for the trademark application is set to be made by July 17 this year.
