Nike Inc. sued Reebok in U.S. District Court in Manhattan over its sales of New York Jets' new quarterback Tim Tebow apparel. Nike, which is taking over the NFL license from Reebok for the 2012/2013 NFL season, claims Reebok used Tebow's name without permission.  The license officially switches over on Sunday, March 1.

Last week, Tebow was traded from the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets. The suit says Reebok soon began shipping large volumes of $30 Tebow T-shirts with the Jets name on the front and Tebow's name to strong sales.

In its suit, Nike stated that “the demand for Tebow-identified Jets apparel arising from last week's trade is intense during a normally subdued time period for NFL merchandise sales, and at a time when Nike is going to extraordinary lengths to build up demand for its soon-to-be released NFL product offerings. Based on the upcoming April 3 unveiling of the Nike-supplied official New York Jets uniforms and apparel for use in the 2012 season, demand for Tebow-identified Jets apparel would be expected to continue to increase. However, unless restrained, Reebok's distribution of unauthorized Tebow-identified Jets apparel will preclude Nike and its licensors from fully realizing the unique opportunity presented by the convergence of the Tebow trade to the Jets and the announcement of the new Nike NFL uniform.”

Nike claims Reebok has no agreement with the National Football League Players Association to use Tebow's name, or an agreement with Tebow himself. The quarterback signed an endorsement deal with Nike in March 2010 after graduating from the University of Florida.

“Reebok has sought to take advantage of this unique, short-lived opportunity by supplying without authorization or license Tebow-identified New York Jets apparel to retailers in New York and elsewhere around the country,” the lawsuit states.

Nike last year signed on for a five-year deal to be the league’s exclusive provider of on-field apparel, including game uniforms and sideline apparel. Its new uniforms for all 32 NFL will be unveiled on April 3 in New York City. Reebok had been the supplier for the last decade.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims that Reebok misappropriated publicity rights, interfered with business relationships and unjustly enriched itself because it failed to get Tebow’s permission before launching the new products. The lawsuit said Reebok, owned by Adidas AG, did not respond to demands to cease Tebow apparel sales after a Tebow representative sent a letter to the company on Friday.

Reebok declined to comment the lawsuit.