Kawhi Leonard filed a suit against Nike last month, and now the company filed a countersuit over the “Klaw” logo. The well-known logo was developed when Leonard had an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand.
Nike countersues Kawhi Leonard in their copyright dispute over ownership of "The Klaw" logo and similarities between different versions of the logo. I break down Nike's lawsuit and Leonard's likely defenses in a new @SInow and @TheCrossover legal story: https://t.co/GkCf97eOmK pic.twitter.com/hRR5AEkBir
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) July 19, 2019
“In this action, Kawhi Leonard seeks to re-write history by asserting that he created the ‘Claw Design’ logo, but it was not Leonard who created that logo,” Nike states in its countersuit. The ‘Claw Design’ wasn’t created by Leonard, but by a team of NIKE designers, according to the statement from the company.
“In his Complaint, Leonard alleges he provided a design to NIKE. That is true. What is false is that the design he provided was the Claw Design. Not once in his Complaint does Leonard display or attach either the design that he provided or the Claw Design. Instead, he conflates the two, making it appear as though those discrete works are one and the same. They are not.”
Nike provides a couple of images in their countersuit – one of the design that Nike created, and the other which Leonard supplied to the company. The other picture has a “KL,” with the L also turning into a number two inside of a hand.
Fight for the Klaw logo or make a new one?
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) July 19, 2019
Also, in the countersuit, Nike states that Leonard is trying to take credit for the work of the logo’s designers. He did provide the initial rough draft of the design, but Nike designers did the rest of the work and came up with a final product.
Leonard continued to use the logo on non-Nike clothing during the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. In his lawsuit, he said that he is planning to do so in the future. This statement didn’t go well with Nike, and that’s why they filed the countersuit, saying that it is “entitled to the maximum statutory damages recoverable, or for other amounts as may be proper.”
Kawhi first talked about his lawsuit before Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
“It happened over a long time ago,” Leonard said. “You guys are just finding out. Not a big worry of mine.”
