A New Jersey youth hockey club owner drew criticism after an email he sent to parents threatened suspension of players whose families made team-themed apparel, according to the message that went viral Tuesday. The email condemned the mothers of an under-10 club for producing jackets the owner says used the team’s trademarked logos.
The parents made letterman-style jackets featuring “Hitmen” across the front and “Hitmama Hockey” in cursive on the back, the email said. The owner, Bobby Reiss, cited contracts he says families signed that bar use of the trademarks and wrote that the marks are federally registered and that “any transgressions over the years have been dealt with by our law firm.”
Reiss is the owner of Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, New Jersey, and operates more than 20 youth hockey teams that use the facility. He told NorthJersey.com the email was intended to resolve a dispute over jackets he says were produced without approval, saying “Anything to do with the team is the property of the facility” and that this is the third such incident in three years.
In the email, Reiss said merchandise for teams is produced and sold in the team store at a discounted rate. He wrote that parents not involved “can continue to practice restitution,” that they will receive a 15% royalty and that they “get permission.” He also said those who come forward with a bill of sale and payment of the royalty would be allowed to have their players practice immediately after a discussion.
NorthJersey.com reported later Tuesday that Reiss had not suspended any children connected to the situation. In the email, Reiss described the episode as “one of the most egregious violations in recent memory” of the contract policy.
