ESPN tevelvision network must face allegations by Quiksilver Inc. that a logo for its international X Games sports competition violates a clothing trademark, reports Bloomberg.com
The emblem for ESPN's extreme-sports franchise is “strikingly similar” to the stylized X used by Quiksilver in the Gen X line of clothing, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon said in a Friday ruling in New York.
Quiksilver, manufacturer of actions sports apparel, sued ESPN in June, claiming it began using the X on clothing labels in 1994, which was two years before the debut of ESPN's sports competition. The company attests ESPN was inspired by its logo.
Bloomberg.com reports ESPN filed its own trademark allegations against Quiksilver a month earlier, accusing the retailer of copying the X Games logo. The Bristol, Conn.-based network referred to Quiksilver's use of the X in marketing as a “series of disparate designs, not a trademark,” court papers show.
According to Bloomberg.com, ESPN said Quiksilver's logo was particularly confusing because the apparel maker had been a high-profile sponsor of X Games athletes and is currently partnered with a former X Games champion, surfer Kelly Slater, to promote a line of clothing.
