In a lawsuit made public on June 6, 2016, two-time Pro-Bowl offensive lineman, LeCharles Bentley, sued NBC Universal Inc. for trademark infringement. This suit stems from the network’s “The Biggest Loser” reality show and its new logo which Bentley claims is nearly identical to the one he uses for his training facility and football academy.
Bentley, best known for his time with the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns, was one of the best NFL offensive linemen in the aughts. He was a consensus All-American center at Ohio State University and quickly rose to prominence after being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2002 as well as to the 2004 and 2005 Pro Bowls. This lawsuit isn’t Bentley’s first legal rodeo; he previously sued the Cleveland Browns in 2010 following a series of knee injuries and staph infections in 2008 which ended his career. Upon retirement, he founded the “LeCharles Bentley O-Line Performance” program for offensive linemen. Since 2013 Bentley has used an “LB” logo — which is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office — for the program and claims the “BL” design used on “The Biggest Loser” is infringement of that registered mark. It was only recently “The Biggest Loser” discontinued use of their original tape measure logo in place of the more stylized and sporty design which is the logo at issue.
Previously, Bentley sent a cease and desist letter which NBC allegedly ignored. In that letter attorneys for Bentley made note of the fact at one point Bentley was actually being considered for a role as a celebrity trainer on the reality TV series because of his expertise in sports performance, training, and exercise science. Bentley’s attorney’s alluded to the fact that the timing of the new logo and being approached by NBC and interviewing for the show is not a coincidence and demonstrates NBC should have had knowledge of his trademark. The suit was filed earlier in 2016, but recently transferred to a California federal court on May 26, 2016.