The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee says Coca-Cola has the exclusive right to use Olympic trademarks, including the words “Olympic” and “Team USA,” on beverages in the United States.
But as the 2024 Olympic Games are about to begin, it says another company, Prime Hydration, founded by the YouTube personalities Logan Paul and KSI, has been using those terms and others to promote a sports drink, without the committee’s permission.
On Friday, the committee filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, where the committee is based, accusing Prime Hydration of “willful” and “blatant” trademark infringement.
The lawsuit seeks all of the profits that Prime derived from products that infringed on Olympic trademarks as well as “millions of dollars” in damages to be determined at trial.
The suit points in particular to a Prime Hydration drink that features Kevin Durant, the star forward for the Phoenix Suns who is trying to win his fourth gold medal this summer as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team.
The packaging, online ads and promotions for the drink featuring Mr. Durant use the words Olympic, Olympian, Team USA and Going for Gold, which are all trademarks owned by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the lawsuit says.
On July 10, an Olympic Committee lawyer contacted Prime Hydration and asked the company to stop using those trademarks, the lawsuit says. But the company continued to ship the drink to stores and to feature the drink on its LinkedIn account after receiving that warning, the suit says.
Prime Hydration did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
The lawsuit says Coca-Cola made a “significant monetary contribution” for the exclusive right to use Olympic trademarks, and the value of that sponsorship deal, which helps to fund the U.S. Olympic team, is threatened if other companies use those trademarks without permission.
Prime Hydration was founded in 2022 by Mr. Paul, a YouTube influencer who has ventured into boxing and wrestling, and Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, another YouTube personality better known as KSI. The two have gained attention for, among other things, fighting each other in boxing matches.
Last year, doctors and lawmakers criticized Prime for the high levels of caffeine in its Prime Energy drink, saying they could be harmful to children. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, asked the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the ultra-caffeinated variety of Prime, which he said had about the same amount of caffeine as six 12-ounce cans of Coke.
Prime Energy had “so much caffeine in it that it puts Red Bull to shame,” Mr. Schumer said.
Prime said in a statement last year that each can of its energy drink stated that it was not meant for anyone under the age of 18. The company added that the beverage had caffeine levels comparable to other top-selling energy drinks and that Prime was compliant with F.D.A. guidelines.
The post U.S. Olympic Committee Sues Logan Paul’s Drink Company appeared first on New York Times.
