OFF BEAT: Atlanta Braves object to name of Disney/Pixar film

The Atlanta Braves have a new rival, but it’s not another Major League Baseball team.

Instead, the battered sports franchise is taking on Burbank, Calif.-based The Walt Disney Co.

Disney/Pixar’s latest animated film, “Brave,” which centers on a flame-haired Scottish princess with a talent for archery, already is garnering publicity six months prior to its projected release. The Atlanta Braves reportedly filed a “formal objection” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after Disney’s most recent attempt to trademark various iterations of the title on Oct. 20.

The team has until Jan. 18, 2012, to file opposition papers with the Trademark Trial and Appeals board, according to reports.

Though the Atlanta National League Ball Club, which owns the Atlanta Braves, holds only the rights to the word “Braves,” it alleges the fans, media and others commonly use the word “Brave” to refer to a single player and “Braves” to refer to the entire team.

Its objection stems from the fear that Disney’s use of the singular form will lead to confusion and even damage due to the team’s use of “Brave” in its merchandising.

Another baseball franchise, the New York Mets, has amicably shared a variation of its name with two local institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera House, both commonly referred to as “The Met.”

The Atlanta National League Ball Club and Disney Co. reportedly were in negotiations to settle the dispute.