Cleveland Guardians Disregard Roller Derby Team Named The Guardians

In their quest not to offend anyone, the Cleveland Guardians -- formerly known as the Cleveland Indians -- have likely offended yet another group, this time by stealing their name.

The former Cleveland Indians — a title deemed fairly innocent in intent, according to polling results — have tried to prevent their new nomenclature, the Guardians, from overlapping with any existing "Guardian" properties.

Despite settling the issue with prominent properties, including Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy IP, it appears that Cleveland had no time for the little guy. A men's roller derby team known as the Cleveland Guardians have emerged as a new nuisance for the MLB team, thanks to a U.S. trademark that was granted to the small-time team only days after the MLB Guardians announcement.

Because of the oversight, the Cleveland Guardians baseball team will have to clarify its infringement with the roller derby team since they never asked for permission to use the name. Neither group has released an official statement regarding the matter.

According to a report from Cleveland19, the roller derby team has operated as an official business since 2017 and have sold merchandise containing their logos and the Guardians title for years. The report verifies that on July 27, the team received full permission to market themselves as the "Cleveland Guardians."

Remember, identity theft is not a joke. Think about the millions of families it affects.