Nike Finally Responds to Lawsuit Over Stolen Jumpman

Following earlier reports that the photographer of iconic Jumpman logo was suing Nike over copyright infringement, Nike has finally responded. Photographer Jacobus Rentmeester sued Nike for using his original photograph, even though he was paid $15,000 USD at the time for its use and hadn’t registered the image with the U.S. copyright office until December 2014. Nike responds, saying the claim is “meritless” and goes on to ask the court to drop the lawsuit immediately, arguing that the logo and the photograph do not have enough similarities. According to the Ninth Circuit law, it can only be considered copyright infringement if two images are “virtually identical,” and Nike has broken down all the differences between the photograph and the logo, including MJ’s hand and leg positions and the fact that one is a full color image and one is a silhouette. Nike goes on to say that Rentmeester “does not have a monopoly on Mr. Jordan, his appearance, his athletic prowess, or images of him dunking a basketball — his copyright begins and ends with his specific original expression of that subject and theme.” Stay tuned for more updates on this legal drama.