Vancouver fans aren’t unfamiliar with this type of powerplay by the league, having seen a similar response from the NHL a few weeks ago.

While I certainly appreciate the importance the league must assign to issues of their protected property—their name and logos—I truly wonder where the line is supposed to be drawn. If businesses are promoting the NHL’s sport—often by paying enormous cable fees to be able to show games in their commercial establishments—shouldn’t there be a better balance on the issue of “copyright enforcement’ vs “wow, other people want to help us to promote our sport!”?

When you read the full story, it’s obvious that Basha has been pushing their luck with this stuff for a while. But regardless of that, I can’t see how anyone with any common sense would look at that restaurant sign and think “Oh, clearly they’re affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens.” From where I’m sitting, it’s a clearly a “We’re fans, too” kind of sign. Not unlike the Vancouver example I mentioned above.

I’ve joked about it a lot, but I’m really starting to wonder… how long before I’m in copyright violation if I walk out of the house in my Canucks jersey?