Team USA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) filed a lawsuit against Puma in Colorado Federal District Court for trademark infringement and unfair competition.
Puma reportedly applied to register the trademark “Puma Tokyo 2021” on March 24 of last year, the same day the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were moved back a year in light of the pandemic. Puma later also applied to register “Puma Beijing 2022” and “Puma Paris 2024.”
The USOPC said it owns trademarks for Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024 and has licensing and sponsorship agreements which allow these to be used.
The complaint states the Olympics are filled with opportunities for “ambush marketing,” due to the ability to use trademarks associated with specific Olympic Games reserved for the IOC’s 15 Top-tier global partners.
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