The Dimopoulos vs. NFL Playoff

Steve Dimopoulos sues the NFL over a trademark infringement issue

The Battle of the Logos: Lawyer Dimopoulos Sues NFL and Raiders for Alleged Trademark Infringement

Las Vegas personal injury attorney Steve Dimopoulos isn’t one to back down easily. Instead of cowering in the face of a cease and desist letter from the almighty NFL, Dimopoulos has taken a defiant stance by slapping the league with a lawsuit.

Dimopoulos has thrown down the gauntlet, suing not only the NFL but also the Raiders. His claim? That his firm did not infringe on their precious trademarks in a commercial aired during the Super Bowl in the Las Vegas market.

Dimopoulos has a high profile for his work as a wrongful death and personal injury work, practising in Nevada, Florida and Michigan. He is used to profile cases and achieving publicity and law firm marketing activity for his firm.

Dimopoulos wasted no time in taking the matter to federal court in Las Vegas, undeterred by the intimidating letter he received from the NFL and Raiders demanding that he cease using their licensed trademarks. It’s clear that Dimopoulos is ready to duke it out in the legal arena.

According to the complaint filed by the renowned Randazza Legal Group, Dimopoulos seeks a ruling from the court affirming that his firm did not violate any trademark or trade dress rights belonging to the NFL or the Raiders.

The firm adamantly asserts that it went to great lengths to avoid featuring any league or team logos in the controversial commercial. In fact, the commercial showcased Raiders’ defensive end Maxx Crosby donning a “generic” uniform with the Raiders’ signature black and silver colors, but without any logos.

Dimopoulos boldly argues that the choice of black, white, and silver colors for his law firm’s color scheme predates the Raiders’ relocation announcement by more than four years.

He maintains that these colors are widely used in football jerseys across the United States, be it at the professional, collegiate, or recreational level. To support his case, Dimopoulos highlights that Crosby even signed a contract explicitly stating that he would wear the Dimopoulos Law Firm’s colors, with his name and number displayed on the jersey, while refraining from including any NFL, Raiders, or equipment manufacturer logos.

The Super Bowl advertisement in question also features other sports figures, including Golden Knights forward William Karlsson and UFC heavyweight Jon Jones, preparing for their respective competitions, all while Dimopoulos gets ready to head to court. The law firm emphasizes that no logos of the Golden Knights, NHL, or UFC were shown, with only the Dimopoulos firm’s logo displayed on the uniforms worn in the commercial.

Moreover, the firm points out that when the advertisement was uploaded to YouTube, it carried a clear disclaimer stating that it had no affiliation, authorization, or endorsement from the NFL. Despite this, the Raiders and NFL Properties wasted no time in firing off their cease and desist letter to the Dimopoulos firm, threatening legal action and demanding a response by a certain deadline.

Dimopoulos fights back, asserting that his firm has been using black and silver colors in its promotions since its inception in 2012. Not only have other sports teams, such as the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, and the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, employed the same colors, but Dimopoulos himself even sponsored a hockey team in the A league sporting these colors prior to the Raiders’ relocation announcement. The plaintiff makes it clear that his firm has a legitimate claim to these colors, and he won’t let the Raiders and the NFL trample on his rights.

As if that weren’t enough, the Raiders and NFL Properties also accused the Dimopoulos group of misusing hashtags on social media that included various NFL marks, including “RAIDERS” and “RAIDERS NATION,” to promote its services. While the law firm neither admits nor denies using these hashtags in their tweets, it staunchly argues that they were not employed in a way that suggests any connection to the trademarks or their owners.

Dimopoulos isn’t pulling any punches in this legal battle. He’s ready to fight tooth and nail, demanding a jury trial. That’s a home game for him.

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