The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is suing YouTuber Logan Paul’s energy drink brand, accusing it of trademark infringement just a week ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a federal lawsuit filed Friday in the District of Colorado, the committee alleges that Paul’s company Prime Hydration used trademarked phrases — such as “OLYMPIC,” “OLYMPIAN,” “TEAM USA” and “GOING FOR GOLD” — on its product packaging and in its online advertisements.
Ad copy seen at online stores selling Prime, specifically the drink made in partnership with NBA star Kevin Durant, described the product as the “Team USA Kevin Durant Drink” and the “Kevin Durant Olympic Prime Drink.”
“Prime Hydration’s conduct has been and continues to be willful, deliberate, and in bad faith, with malicious intent to trade on the goodwill of the USOPC and the IOC,” the lawsuit stated, adding that the company has caused “damage and irreparable injury” to the USOPC.
The committee, which is responsible for supporting Team USA athletes through training and funding, stated in the lawsuit that it relies heavily on licensing its trademarks to fund the U.S. Olympic Team, as it doesn’t receive financial assistance from the federal government.
But unlicensed use of these trademarks might mislead the public and enable a seller to profit from associating its brand with the Olympics despite no official connection, the lawsuit alleges.
The USOPC’s legal team contacted Prime Hydration on July 10 to request the company “cease infringement,” according to the lawsuit, which further alleged that Prime continued to ship the specified product and failed to remove all social media posts advertising it in the days following the letter.
An attorney for the USOPC, as well as representatives for Prime Hydration and Paul, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Several social media posts cited in the lawsuit seem to have been removed from Prime Hydration’s pages as of Sunday, however. The drink also appears to have been removed from the company’s website.
Prime, a sports drink brand Paul developed in 2022 in collaboration with fellow YouTube star KSI, has come under scrutiny before.
In July of last year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the company. This came after its energy drinks attained viral popularity among children — despite being advertised for consumers over 18. Lawmakers and health experts expressed increasing concern about whether the drinks contained potentially dangerous levels of caffeine.
While its Prime Hydration line contains no caffeine, Prime Energy drinks contain 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can, equivalent to about a six-pack of Coke cans or nearly two 12-ounce cans of Red Bull.
About a month later, Prime faced a class-action lawsuit alleging that a now-discontinued flavor of Prime Hydration contained perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals.” These substances can remain in the environment and the human body, posing potential health risks. Paul disputed the claims earlier this year in a now-unavailable TikTok video.
The USOPC is seeking all profits associated with the sale of the allegedly infringing drink — which the committee claims is in the millions of dollars — and compensation for alleged harm imposed on the committee’s sponsorship agreements.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Source Agencies
