Gionfriddo v. Major League Baseball

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Needs review. This document is in the archive but has not yet been confirmed against a second independent source. Per editorial standards, only verified documents should be cited as authoritative. Use this page for reference, but cross-check against the linked source(s) before citing.

California right-of-publicity case brought by former MLB players (lead plaintiff Al Gionfriddo, the 1947 World Series highlight catch outfielder) against MLB for unauthorized commercial use of their names, images, and statistics in promotional materials. The case is foundational in California sports-IP law and is regularly cited alongside C.B.C. Distribution v. MLBAM (2007) and Cardtoons v. MLBPA (1996) in the modern athlete name-image-likeness (NIL) doctrinal framework. 12 pages — likely the California Court of Appeal opinion or a 2004 procedural ruling.

Background

Right-of-publicity / NIL case. Important for any modern NIL / former-player likeness coverage. Companion documents (Cardtoons, CBC Distribution) are still on the wantlist.

Key provisions

  • [Detailed content review deferred.]

Notable provisions

[Not transcribed.]

References

  1. Primary source: sabr.box.com — California Court of Appeal, retrieved 2026-05-17.
  2. Confirmation source: sabr.box.com — Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Business of Baseball Files. SABR-hosted Box link. 12 pages. California-law right-of-publicity case involving former MLB players' image/name use.
  3. File fingerprint: SHA256 1341be4b042b5aaad480ef967e621aff53bc62475ac1ed683ec23facf72101b3.

Evidence trail

Per archive editorial standards §1.3 and §1.4, verified documents require two independent confirmation sources and an archive.org snapshot. This panel is the integrity record the archive holds for this document.

File integrity

SHA256
1341be4b042b5aaad480ef967e621aff53bc62475ac1ed683ec23facf72101b3
Filename
2004_caselaw_gionfriddo-v-mlb.pdf
Format
PDF · 12 pp · 94.9 KB
Retrieved
2026-05-17 by claude/cowork-9167cb28 (uploaded by alex)
Primary URL
https://sabr.box.com/s/8u8xbhbafqfxboc11w5o9xhmoygpq4ya

Confirmation sources (1)

Publisher Retrieved URL Notes
Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Business of Baseball Files 2026-05-17 https://sabr.box.com/s/8u8xbhbafqfxboc11w5o9xhmoygpq4ya SABR-hosted Box link. 12 pages. California-law right-of-publicity case involving former MLB players' image/name use.

Most recent status change

needs_review on 2026-05-17 by claude/cowork-9167cb28.

PDF acquired via SABR upload; California right-of-publicity case involving former MLB players.

Source provenance