Nike is likely one of the largest footwear and athletic gear firms on the earth, recognized for its acquainted slogan “Simply Do It.” The corporate just lately issued a trademark criticism on Jan. 18 towards a Texas-based CBD firm known as Revive Farming Technologies, who filed to make use of the trademark “Simply Hemp It” on Dec. 16, 2019.
“JUST DO IT … which has been in use in commerce for greater than 30 years, and registered for greater than 25 years, is known inside the which means of Lanham Act Part 43(c), 15 USC § 1125(c),” Nike said. It’s asking the Patent and Trademark Workplace and Trademark Trial and Attraction Board to disclaim Revive’s try to trademark the phrase “Simply Hemp It.”
Nike argues that it owns a number of trademark registrations for the “Simply Do It” mark, describing it as “widely known and well-known,” and that the Revive shouldn’t be allowed to trademark “Simply Hemp It” as a result of it will result in confusion and trigger damage and harm to Nike.
In keeping with Green Market Report (GMR), Revive already options the phrase on its web site adopted with a trademark symbol. GMR additionally states that the web site comprises language that makes unauthorized medical claims about CBD.
Nike’s “Simply Do It” campaign first launched in 1988 by the late Dan Wieden, who has efficiently launched different slogan campaigns for firms like Previous Spice, Procter and Gamble, and Coca Cola. Apparently Wieden mentioned that “Simply Do It” was impressed by the final words of an inmate on death row, who mentioned “You realize, let’s do it” earlier than his execution.
Nike has led profitable trademark complaints towards different firms trying to make use of variations of “Simply Do It” previously. In 1992, Nike focused an organization known as “Simply Did It,” which additionally offered athletic gear, for trademark infringement. In 2020, Nike went after a enterprise for utilizing “Simply Consider It.” Extra just lately, a small enterprise proprietor who began a succulent store known as JustSuccIt in 2020, was additionally contacted by Nike concerning trademark infringement.
This hasn’t been an unusual pattern within the hashish trade both. In August 2017, the glue firm generally known as Gorilla Glue took Gorilla Glue Strains to court docket. The outcomes meant that strains generally known as Gorilla Glue #1 or Gorilla Glue #4 can be known as GG1 or GG4.
In February 2018, The Hershey Co. started suing hashish firms for copyright infringement, and focused each the Oakland-based Harborside dispensary and a California edibles firm known as Good Lady Hashish Co. for promoting gadgets with related Hershey product branding.
UPS focused hashish supply providers that had been utilizing its acronym, comparable to United Pot People who smoke, UPS420, and THCPlant in February 2019.
Later in August 2019, Bitter Patch Children focused unlawful hashish merchandise like Stoney Patch for infringing upon the trademark as effectively. Cinnabon took on a vape firm in October 2019 for promoting an e-liquid utilizing the model’s title, only one month earlier than the Heart for Illness Management and Prevention found that vaping lung accidents had been being brought on by vitamin E acetate in November 2019.
Extra just lately in August 2022, Mars Wrigley received a lawsuit towards hashish firms utilizing the brand font and colours to promote unlawful edibles. “I’ve positioned important weight on the difficulty of hurt not solely to the Plaintiff but additionally to members of the general public who may unintentionally eat the Defendants’ Infringing Product believing it to be a real SKITTLES product. The truth that SKITTLES are a confectionary product which might be engaging to kids reinforces the necessity to denounce the Defendants’ conduct,” mentioned Choose Patrick Gleeson in his ruling.