Nike and Rob Gronkowski may find themselves in a legal feud soon over copyright infringement.
The athletic company giant has fileda formal opposition to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trial and Appeal Board against the Patriot tight end’s company, Gronk Nation L.L.C., saying that it too closely resembles the “Air Jordan Jumpman” logo, made famous by Jordan brand.
Gronk’s logo, which is a silhouette of him performing his signature spike TD celebration, closely resembled thesilhouette of Michael Jordan doing his signature dunk.
Via ESPN – Gronkowski and his team has until Aug. 5th to respond or risk abandoning the filing. If nothing is resolved, the two sides will battle over the mark.
“My client has created one of the most recognizable brands in sports today,” said attorney Troy Carnrite, a partner with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, which represents the Gronkowski family. “We are very proud of this brand and are optimistic that we will resolve this with Nike amicably.”
Gronkowski not only wears Nike cleats on the field, but his uniform is also adorned with swooshes, as the company has official NFL uniform rights.
