St. Louis Cardinals fighting Hamilton Cardinals attempt to trademark baseball team name and design in Canada

The Hamilton Cardinals baseball team is facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals, but not in a ballpark.

The MLB team from St. Louis, Mo., is opposing a trademark application the Canadian Baseball League (CBL) team filed before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in 2023.

Hamilton team owner Eric Spearin described the MLB team’s opposition as “just a big shock.” The teams play in different leagues, he said, and “our logo looks nothing like theirs.”

The CBL team is “much smaller” too, with a home stadium that seats 3,000 for a 48-game season. 

International law firm Gowling Canada is representing the St. Louis organization in its opposition to the Hamilton application. Through that firm, the St. Louis Cardinals declined to comment. 

Spearin, who grew up in Hamilton’s Dundas area, became the majority owner of the CBL club in 2022 and wanted to “freshen up the brand,” he told CBC Hamilton. 

That included creating a new, “Hamilton-esque logo,” featuring a cardinal holding a hammer like a bat, in reference to the city’s nickname.

The Canadian Trademarks Database shows Hamilton Cardinals Baseball Club Inc. filed for three trademarks on March 7, 2023 related to the team name and design. Since spring 2025, the database shows St. Louis Cardinals LLC has opposed the applications.

Alexandra Mogyoros is a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law, who teaches intellectual property law. 

“It happens,” she said when asked how common disputes like this are. “That’s what our trademark regime anticipates.”

To get a trademark, Mogyoros said, one has to prove the sign they’re attempting to trademark is distinctive enough “to signal the commercial source of goods or services by looking at your mark.”

A party can oppose an application for a range of reasons, including if they feel a mark is “confusingly similar” to its own, she said. 

U.S. team says Canadian team trying to take advantage of its reputation

In a statement of opposition to one of the design trademarks dated June 2025, the St. Louis Cardinals wrote the Hamilton Cardinals’ attempt to register the trademark “represents an attempt to take advantage of the reputation and goodwill associated with the [St. Louis Cardinals’] Trademarks, and to likely deceive consumers into the mistaken belief that the [Hamilton Cardinals’] goods and services are in some way related to, associated with, or endorsed by the Opponent, when that is not the case.” 

It adds the trademark application is “intended to call to mind and trade off of Canadian consumers ’ recognition of, and positive associations with, the St. Louis Cardinals baseball club.” To make its case, the St. Louis business quotes an interview then-co-owner Drew Brady gave when the Hamilton team changed its name from Thunderbirds back to Cardinals: “[W]e’re riding on the coattails of the St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series.” The statement did not say to whom Brady was speaking to or where the interview was published.

The Hamilton Cardinals website says the 2012 name change was “because of the club’s relationship with Hamilton Cardinals youth rep baseball programme.”

“I just completely disagree with all the claims they’ve made,” Spearin said.  

Hamilton Cardinals to keep using name during dispute

The Hamilton Cardinals season starts May 15, with their first game at home, Spearin said. They have an “engaged” fanbase he said, and there seems to be increased interest in baseball this year, perhaps because of the Toronto Blue Jays World Series run. 

Spearin said the trademark dispute attracted attention from fans and reporters recently, prompting an April 17 statement in which the team explained the situation and said it plans to continue using the name. 

“The Hamilton Cardinals remain confident in their position and are committed to protecting the legacy, identity, and community presence built over decades. This reflects the pride and resilience of Hamilton, a city known for standing strong and fighting for what matters,” the team said. “We intend to continue operating under the Hamilton Cardinals name and remain committed to our unique Cardinals logo.”

The statement also referenced a historical connection between the two bird-themed baseball teams.

The Hamilton Cardinals have used that name since 1958, Spearin said, and from 1988 to 1992, the St. Louis Cardinals had an affiliated team that shared Bernie Arbour Stadium in Hamilton with the Hamilton Cardinals.

“I don’t see why we can’t continue to co-exist,” he said.

As for what happens if he loses the trademark fight, Spearin said he “hasn’t thought that far ahead.”

“We feel very confident that there would be a ruling in our favour,” he said

The trademarks database shows the St. Louis Cardinals have an April 26 deadline to file more evidence in the organization’s case.