PHILADELPHIA _ The fans are flustered. The team is fighting back in federal court. The mascot's creators say they never wanted it to come to this.
And yet, the question of the Phillie Phanatic's free agency looms larger than a 6-foot-6, 300-pound flightless Galapagan bird brandishing a ballpark hot dog launcher. Will Philadelphia's beloved green mascot be forced to pack his bags over a copyright controversy?
While the case is complicated by the Phanatic's unusual creation story and distinctions between copyright and trademark, things aren't likely to end in a farewell to the mascot, legal experts say.
