Small Baseball Card Firm Takes Hit From Big Leagues

Baseball card manufacturer Dad’s Kid Corp. is being sued for trademark and copyright infringement by four industry giants.

The small, 20-person company here is the target of a suit by Carlsbad-based Upper Deck Co., Score Group Inc., Leaf Inc. and the Major League Baseball Players Assn.

Dad’s Kid buys the cards of the other manufacturers, cuts them up and makes them three-dimensional. The players’ images appear to rise from the surface of the company’s Tri Cards.

The company began selling Tri Cards in January, said Christopher Kamar, president and chief executive officer. Retailers include Toys R Us, F.A.O. Schwarz and Spencer Gifts.

The three big manufacturers, however, and the association that licenses them say that Dad’s Kid has stolen a line that they themselves had the right to develop. Score Group and the Players Assn. filed suit July 10 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan; Upper Deck and Leaf filed suit the same day in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, Dad’s Kid announced that it will countersue. Kamar said the legal action has frightened away many retailers, and he has had to cut his staff from a high of 158 in late June.

Kamar’s suit alleges that the manufacturers and the Players Assn. have violated antitrust laws, set up unfair competition and interfered with prospective contractual relations. The countersuits were filed in U.S. District courts in Manhattan and Los Angeles.

Kamar is seeking more than $1 million in damages.

He said he had tried to strike a deal last spring with Upper Deck and Score to use their cards exclusively to make Tri Cards.

“What I got back in return was a knock on the door with lawsuits,” he said. “We’re devastated.”

Upper Deck was not available for comment Wednesday.