Baseball players sue Steiner Sports over trademark

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Major League Baseball Players Association sued Steiner Sports Marketing Inc on Friday accusing the memorabilia seller of trademark infringement and counterfeiting.

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the players association accused Steiner Sports of selling products "purportedly bearing the signatures of more than a dozen members of the Boston Red Sox" team without a license last year.

More recently, the association said, Steiner was preparing to sell "dirt from the infield at Yankee Stadium" accompanied by a framed photograph and name plate bearing biographical information about an active player.

Steiner Sports, started in 1987, is the leading producer of authentic, hand-signed collectibles, according to its website. Calls to Steiner Sports seeking comment were not returned.

The players association said in its lawsuit that Steiner Sports was licensed to sell a line of photographs until December 31, 2005, when its license expired and it did not renew.

The association is asking that the court bar Steiner Sports from using its MLB Players Choice trademark, confiscate all material bearing counterfeit trademarks and award statutory damages of up to $1 million in addition to any punitive damages.

(Reporting by Leslie Gevirtz; Editing by Toni Reinhold)