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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Toronto star Kawhi Leonard began a lawsuit against the federal government on Monday, claiming that the shoe and apparel giant was preventing him from using a logo he thought he possessed.
The lawsuit was filed on a day of travel for the finals of the NBA; Leonard and the Raptors flew to Oakland, California on Monday to begin preparing for the third game of the Golden State Warriors title series, a match on Wednesday night.
The complaint was filed in California because Leonard has a home in San Diego.
Leonard was a Nike endorser until 2018. He now endorses New Balance. A spokesman for Nike declined to comment Monday, saying the company was not discussing any ongoing litigation. Leonard is scheduled to speak to reporters on Tuesday as practice resumes at the NBA Finals.
In the lawsuit, Leonard said that Nike had filed a copyright claim for a logo that he had designed and that he had made "without Leonard's knowledge and without his consent." Nike had asked Leonard earlier this year to stop using the logo, the prosecution announced. Leonard is preparing to use the logo "on clothing lines, shoes and other products and, among other things, as part of sports camps and charity events".
Leonard claims to have developed the logo himself by tracing his very large hands. The ring and pink fingers of the logo are shaped like "K", the middle finger and the thumb shaped "L" and the index is designed to look like a "2" elongated.
The lawsuit stated that Leonard had "refined" the logo in December 2011 or January 2012 and had finally agreed that Nike could use it for certain products. Leonard wants the court to decide that he is the author of the logo and that Nike has "committed fraud" when registering the logo for copyright.
Leonard is playing for the third time in the finals of the NBA. He was participating in his first season as a member of the Raptors after already playing with the San Antonio Spurs. He will become a free agent on June 30 and many teams, including the Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers, should try to sign it this summer.
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