Finish Strong LLC has sued Reebok International LLC for trademark infringement for manufacturing and selling a T-shirt using the “Finish Strong” slogan adopted by Saints Quarterback Drew Brees in the team’s run up to this year’s Super Bowl victory, the Associated Press reported.
In its lawsuit in federal court, Finish Strong claims it has had a registered trademark on the phrase since 1998. The company uses it in a branded line of apparel including T-shirts, pants, skirts and shirts.
The offending Reebok T-shirt carries the slogan: “We Finish Strong! We Are Saints,” the suit alleges.
Filed Feb. 25, the suit asks for Reebok to turn over all profits from the shirt to Naperville, Ill.-based Finish Strong, plus unspecified damages.
In a statement, Canton, Mass.-based Reebok said it did not believe it was infringing on Finish Strong’s rights, the AP reported. Reebok told the wire service it was not aware of Finish Strong until December, when it received an attorney’s letter. The company noted that the words “Finish Strong” had been adopted to describe the Saints style of play “and widely adopted and reported in the media at that time.
