The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has launched a legal battle against PRIME, a beverage brand under Logan Paul’s ownership, according to The New York Times. The committee alleges the company used Olympic and Team USA-related trademarks without the necessary authorization in the marketing of a sports drink highlighting Kevin Durant.
According to the USOPC, PRIME Hydration violated these rights, regardless of the fact that Coca-Cola has exclusive jurisdiction to employ Olympic trademarks on its beverages within the United States. The infringement suit was submitted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on July 19. The allegations of “willful” and “blatant” violation of trademark rights were pointed out against PRIME Hydration.
The USOPC anticipates to retrieve all profits generated from the supposedly infringing commodities and “millions of dollars” in compensatory damages. The allegations indicate the use of the language such as Olympic, Olympian, Team USA, and Gold for Gold on the packaging, online promotions and promotional tools. These phrases are trademarks owned by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee which were illegally used by the company.
The USOPC legal representative reached out to PRIME Hydration on July 10, demanding the termination of the usage of these trademarks, but the beverage company reportedly ignored the warning and continued its distribution and promotion on platforms like LinkedIn.
Interestingly, PRIME Hydration — a collaborative venture by Logan Paul and fellow YouTuber KSI, established in 2022 — had already been criticized by medical professionals and lawmakers. This was due to the high levels of caffeine in their PRIME Energy drink, which they deemed harmful to children.