Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is suing a Philadelphia-based artist for allegedly profiting off of his “Greek Freak” trademark without permission.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, the NBA star — whose 6-foot-11-inch height and on-court skills have earned him the nickname “Greek Freak” — accused Jinder Bhogal of selling merchandise branded with his trademarked moniker, which was registered last year.
In the complaint, Antetokounmpo claimed Bhogal had acted in bad faith “with the purpose of confusing and misleading consumers into believing that they are purchasing products associated with or endorsed by Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the most successful and popular NBA players.” He added that Bhogal failed to respond to a cease-and-desist letter that was sent on May 3.
The lawsuit also included an image it said was shared on the Instagram account @jin.b.artwear — representing the artist’s business, Jin B — in which Bhogal allegedly illustrated Antetokounmpo with antlers and in a traditional toga, offering a 10% discount to Bucks fans during the NBA playoffs.
Bhogal’s website, JinBArtwear.com, also features apparel that appears to be inspired by other high-profile names in basketball, including Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons and Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden.
Antetokounmpo is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as an injunction against further acts of alleged infringement.
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