Stuffed: Photographer’s Claim Against Nike Dismissed

Oregon District Judge Michael W. Mosman issued a ruling on Tuesday dismissing a lawsuit alleging that Nike Inc.’s “Jumpman” logo was an improper reproduction of a picture taken of Michael Jordan by the plaintiff photographer in 1984.

The judge wrote:

“[a]lthough at first glance there are certainly similarities between the two expressions of the pose, a closer examination reveals several material differences … In the context of thin or very close to thin copyright protection, these differences lead me to find that the

June 14, 2015 Litigation

Protecting an Image: Michael Jordan Opposes Proposed Jury Instructions in Appropriation of Likeness Suit

As we’ve mentioned before, Michael Jordan’s appropriation of likeness lawsuit has been allowed to continue.

This all started in 2009, when an advertisement was published in a special edition of Sports Illustrated, which was produced to commemorate Michael Jordan’s induction into the hall of fame. The advertisement was one by Jewel Food Stores, Inc., a Chicago-run supermarket chain, and it congratulated Jordan on his induction.

Now, six years later, the grocer and Michael Jordan are embroiled in a civil lawsuit in which the NBA …

June 10, 2015 Litigation

MJ Continues Winning Ways: Judge Allows Jordan’s Likeness Suit to Continue

On Friday, June 5, an Illinois federal judge ruled that Michael Jordan can continue his right of publicity suit against Jewel Food Stores, Inc. The lawsuit arose out of an ad featured in a special edition of Sports Illustrated following Jordan’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The ad featured text that congratulated Jordan on his induction, a pair of basketball shoes portraying the iconic number 23 that Jordan wore during his playing days, and Jewel-Osco’s logo with the slogan “Good Things …

March 19, 2015 Advertising / Copyright

Nike Asks Court to Nix Copyright Infringement Suit over ‘Jumpman’ Logo

Nike filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Jacobus Rentmeester, a photographer who shot a mid-air Michael Jordan in 1984, an image which allegedly became the Jumpman logo.

Rentmeester filed a suit in January 2015, alleging Nike misappropriated his work to create the famous “Jumpman” logo which is essentially a silhouette of Michael Jordan appearing to be in the process of a dunk. More specifically, Rentmeester claimed that Nike used his photograph of Jordan published in a 1984 issue of Life magazine. …

Photographer Claims Infringement by Nike on ‘Jumpman’ Logo

On Thursday, January 22, a professional photographer filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Nike Inc. for their alleged excessive use of his iconic photograph of a mid-air Michael Jordan, which ultimately became the “Jumpman” logo.

In 1984, professional photographer, Jacobus Rentmeester, held a photo-shoot of Michael Jordan on the University of North Carolina campus for an up-coming LIFE magazine issue. At that photo-shoot, he captured one of the most well-known images in both sports and fashion. Rentmeester’s lawsuit claims Nike paid $150 for …