Cleveland Guardians Settle Lawsuit With Roller Derby Club, Both Will Use Team Name

It's official: the Cleveland Indians will be the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians roller derby club filed a trademark lawsuit against the Guardians baseball club on Oct. 27 for attempting to go by the same name. The lawsuit was settled on Tuesday morning, as the two sides came to an "amicable resolution," per the AP. Both teams will use the Guardians name.

“The Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company, LLC, and Guardians Roller Derby are pleased to announce an amicable resolution of the lawsuit filed by Guardians Roller Derby, whereby both organizations will continue to use the Guardians name,” a Guardians baseball club spokesman told Cleveland.com.

Terms of the agreement have not been released. The Guardians baseball club initially attempted to buy the team's name, coming to the table with a four-figure offer. The Guardians Roller Derby club declined the offer.

The Indians carried their name beginning in 1915, with their "Chief Wahoo" logo becoming one of the most iconic in all of sports. The logo was retired after the 2018 season when it was accused of being racist. The Indians are following the Washington Football Team in changing their name to steer clear of Native American imagery. The Guardians name refers to the Guardian statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge.

Retailers were set to unveil Cleveland Guardians merchandise at 9:00 a.m. on Monday. That was postponed, though retailers were not given a reason. Cleveland.com's Joey Morona reached out to a team spokesperson for comment, which was declined.

The name change will kick in effectively for the 2022 season.