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News December 05, 2023

Nike Says Colorado Ski Apparel Brand’s Logo Violates ‘Jumpman’ Trademark

The athleticwear giant has reportedly threatened legal action, though the company owner says he holds a valid trademark for his “Skiman” branding.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Nike says Skiman is too similar to Jumpman.

And now, the global athletic footwear/apparel brand wants a small Colorado clothing company to stop using its logo – or potentially face a legal action.

Denver 7, an ABC affiliate in Colorado, reported that Nike has sent multiple cease-and-desist letters to Stephen Fucik over a trademarked logo he holds for his apparel brand, Skiman LLC.

The logo, which Fucik successfully trademarked with the federal government in 2020, shows the silhouette of a skier soaring through the air, arms and legs wide, performing a move called a “daffy.”

As the company name indicates, skiing is a theme in much of the apparel, which is geared toward winter-sport lovers. The Skiman logo features on T-shirts, hats and hooded sweatshirts in the company’s collection.

That’s not to Nike’s liking.

The Oregon-headquartered athleticwear juggernaut sent cease-and-desist letters to Fucik saying Skiman too closely resembled “Jumpman” – a trademarked Nike logo that features the silhouette of a basketball player in flight with a ball as if jumping for a slam dunk.

Nike believes the Skiman logo will create confusion in the marketplace, and it wants Fucik to “voluntarily cancel” his trademark or potentially be subject to Nike pursuing “any and all available legal remedies … to protect its valuable trademarks,” Denver 7 reported.

Fucik said he had no intention of mimicking Nike and that he took the proper legal steps to trademark Skiman to prevent any potential trademark/copyright issues. Nixing the logo could spell the end of the Skiman clothing brand, he added.

The logo is “what my company is based off of, so it would completely destroy my company,” he told Denver 7.

A review of available federal court records showed that, as of this writing, Nike had not filed a suit against Skiman or Fucik.

Legal arguments and outcomes in trademark and copyright cases related to graphics on apparel and branded merchandise can prove useful for promotional products pros, as they consider potential trademark/copyright issues in the course of business.