Lebron Jordan, Inc., a Brooklyn, New York footwear start-up, has filed suit against NBA legends LeBron James and Michael Jordan, among others, claiming the basketball stars ruined its business by poisoning its name in the public.
 
Earlier this year, Lebron Jordan CEO Aaron Fraser received a raft of cease-and-desist letters, first from Nike and followed shortly thereafter by representatives of James and Jordan, including Live Nation and Jump D.C., which are affiliated with Jordan.  Nike, in its letter, pointed out that not only does the company own several trademarks using the terms Jordan and LeBron, but one of the shoe models on Lebron Jordan’s Web site appeared to be a carbon copy of Converse’s iconic Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Going further, Nike pointed out that the shoe appears to be standing atop a Converse shoe box.
 
The company didn't cease or desist, but apparently its potential customers did, giving rise to the lawsuit which seeks $150 million each from the defendants.  “The negative press surrounding the threatened action against us has caused us to lose a multimillion dollar deal in addition to declining sales because of the assumption that we have infringed on their respective trademarks,” the company states in its lawsuit.
 
The company continues to argue that Nike doesn’t have the right to trademark the words Lebron and Jordan in any form. Gotham Dating Partners claims to be the first to secure the name Lebron Jordan, a combination of terms the company says couldn’t be found together on search engines before its brand was launched.
 
“Lebron Jordan is not Michael Jordan or LeBron James. It is neither Lebron or Jordan,” the company argues in the court filing. “The company is not a single name company, but rather Lebron Jordan.”  Fraser defends his position by saying his godsons — who just happened to be named Lebron and Jordan — are his company’s namesake.
 
—Source:  Portland Business Journal