ESPN, which is part of Walt Disney, settled a trademark infringement lawsuit by Quiksilver Inc. over the cable channel's logo for the international X Games competition. The companies didn't disclose the details of the settlement in papers filed jointly Monday in federal court in New York, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In November, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon denied ESPN's request to dismiss the case, saying the emblem for its extreme-sports franchise was “strikingly similar” to a “X” found on Quiksilver apparel.
Quiksilver initially filed its lawsuit in June, arguing that it began using “X” on clothing labels in 1994, two years before the debut of ESPN's sports competition. The retailer alleged that ESPN was inspired by its logo.
ESPN had filed its own trademark claims against Quiksilver a month earlier, accusing Quiksilver of copying the X Games logo. In court papers, ESPN referred to Quiksilver's use of the “X” in marketing as a “series of disparate designs, not a trademark.”
The X Games were started by ESPN in 1996 to promote sports such as skateboarding, freestyle biking, surfing and rally-car racing. A year later, the event was broadcast in 21 languages in 198 countries and drew more than 200,000 live spectators, ESPN said.
