Supreme Court rejects dispute over Clemente license plates in Puerto Rico
Supreme Court rejects dispute over Clemente license plates in Puerto Rico
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The statue of former Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente outside of PNC Park. ( Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo)
The justices turned away an appeal made by the three sons after lower courts rejected their claims against the Caribbean US territory.
Clemente, a Puerto Rico native, played for Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates for 18 seasons from 1955 to 1972.
He was a 15-time All-Star right fielder and two-time World Series champion in a career that earned him induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and a statue outside the team’s stadium.
He died at age 38 in a 1972 airplane crash while delivering humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
The lawsuit was filed against Puerto Rico’s government by Roberto Clemente Jr, Luis Roberto Clemente and Roberto Enrique Clemente and two companies they own that they said protect the Roberto Clemente trademark, safeguard his legacy and promote his philanthropy.
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The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge by Roberto Clemente‘s sons to Puerto Rico’s use of the baseball great’s image on commemorative license plates and vehicle registration tags, which they alleged violates constitutional protections against government taking of trademark rights.
