Well, this isn’t how Kawhi Leonard hoped his lawsuit against Nike would go.
The Los Angeles Clippers star has lost his suit claiming Nike illegally copyrighted the “Klaw” logo he designed. But U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman, however, has ruled the design Leonard helped create alongside Nike is an “independent piece of intellectual property” and is different enough from the original sketch he’d shared with the company, per OregonLive’s Maxine Bernstein.
Leonard filed a suit against Nike in June 2019, claiming he’d created the logo — which features an outline of his own hands, jersey number and initials — while in college. He later worked with Nike to redesign the logo for future products before signing with New Balance and attempting to claim the sketch as his own.
Leonard’s suit was dismissed without prejudice after Mosman granted Nike’s motion for judgment on the pleadings.
“Kawhi put his heart and soul into that design so we are obviously disappointed the judge ruled the logo belongs to Nike and not Kawhi,” said Leonard’s attorney Peter R. Ginsberg, per Bernstein. “We’re considering our options to protect Kawhi’s interests.”
Looks like Leonard is back to the drawing board — literally.
