Nike is suing its rival Reebok for selling New York Jets uniforms and other Jets clothing with the branding of its new quarterback’s name on them. Nike reported that it is the only company licensed and authorized to use Tim Tebow’s name on apparel. Reebok, which is a unit of German sporting equipment and apparel-maker Adidas, did not respond to any requests for comments. Tebow created media frenzy when he was traded from the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets on March 21. Since his trade, there has been a large spike in demand for Tebow-related Jets apparel in the New York market.
A company needs a rights agreement with both the National Football League and either the licensing arm of the NFL Players Association or the player himself to sell a piece of licensed apparel with both a team’s and a player’s name. Nike’s lawsuit says Nike already has such a deal with Tebow and the union. The NFL’s 10-year licensing deal will change from Reebok to Nike on Sunday, April 1. At the moment, Reebok is authorized to sell uniforms and other apparel with the team name or logo, but not with the player’s name brandished on the item, according to Nike’s lawsuit. Nike can’t sell any apparel featuring any team names or logos until this Sunday. Nike’s suit said, “Reebok has sought to take advantage of this unique, short-lived opportunity by supplying, without authorization or license, Tebow-identified New York Jets apparel to retailers in New York and elsewhere around the country.” The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York and it seeks to block Reebok from further sales, obliterate any existing Tebow-Jets apparel not yet sold, and compensate Nike with triple damages based on Reebok’s sales of the Tebow-Jets items.
