Sunday, February 24, 2013
Under Armour Files Lawsuit Against Nike
Baltimore's native brand Under Armour has filed a lawsuit against top competitor Nike, claiming copyright infringement. Under Armour's associated slogan dates back to 1998, when they famously quoted "I will...protect this house" in one of their commercials. Ever since, Under Armour has used "I will" in nearly all of its advertising. Ironically enough, Under Armour just launched its global marketing campaign called "I Will" in association with the recent opening of its new retail stores. The accused Nike ads include lines such as "I will protect my home court" and "I will finish what I started." Under Armour claims it is only guarding its phrase, the same way Nike does with their "Just Do It" slogan, and they are asking for monetary compensation.
In my personal opinion, I was shocked to hear this information. I can't really fathom why Nike, a $25 billion company, would stoop so low as to blatantly mimic Under Armour, which is only a budding $1.8 billion company. I feel that the imitation was so obvious they really can't deny copyright infringement. I don't think the lawsuit will have too harsh of an effect on Nike, simply because they are so profitable. However, I don't think a decision like this should be overlooked. It just goes to show that no matter how successful or well-known your company may be, there are no exceptions for lack of creativity or imitation of competing brands just to get ahead in the game.
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I don't think nike is in the wrong here. The words "I" and "will" are two of the most common and popular words in the english language. What if it was "I'll protect my home court?" It means the exact same thing but just stated a little differently. I'd like to see the outcome of this- interesting topic!
ReplyDeleteI understand where Under Armor is coming from. Nike wants to protect their Just Do It slogan so why shouldn't Under Armor want to protect their I Will slogan? At the same time I think it is difficult to avoid some copyright issues, especially when companies are selling the same type of things. I don't think this particular situation is extremely terrible for Nike, but they still should have noticed the similarities, especially since Under Armor is such a close competitor.
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