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By Blake Brittain
(Reuters) - The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has sued sports drink maker Prime Hydration, founded by YouTube personalities Logan Paul and KSI, for allegedly violating its trademark rights with an Olympic-themed ad campaign featuring Team USA basketball player Kevin Durant.
The lawsuit was filed in Colorado federal court on Friday, one week before the 2024 Summer Olympics open in Paris. It said that Prime's use of Olympic trademarks will confuse consumers into thinking that the committee endorsed the brand.
Spokespeople for Prime and attorneys and a spokesperson for the Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the complaint on Monday.
YouTubers Paul and KSI, whose given name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, launched Prime in 2022. The lawsuit said that Prime had introduced an Olympic-themed drink in collaboration with Durant, an NBA superstar and three-time gold medalist who was not named as a defendant in the complaint.
The lawsuit said Prime's use of the words "Olympic," "Team USA" and other committee trademarks on its packaging and advertising amounts to infringement. According to the lawsuit, Prime has continued to use the infringing marketing since the committee sent the company a cease-and-desist letter on July 10.
The committee said in the complaint that Coca-Cola has the exclusive right to use its trademarks on beverages. It asked the court to order Prime to stop using its marks and requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
The case is United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee v. Prime Hydration LLC, United States District Court for the District of Colorado, No. 24-cv-02001.
For the Olympic Committee: James Beard, Scott Johnston and Gregory Golla of Merchant & Gould
For Prime Hydration: Not yet available
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)
