Giannis Antetokounmpo settled a $2 million lawsuit against a company that allegedly sold bootleg merchandise to profit off his “Greek Freak” moniker.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward, 24, who was raised in Greece by Nigerian parents, trademarked his popular nickname that he said was given to him because of his skills on the court sued Viral Style for trademark infringement after it was found the company sold T-shirts, hoodies and other products with the NBA 2019 MVP’s “Greek Freak” moniker.
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“There is no question that the products sold by defendant under the Greek Freak and Greek FR34K marks were sold by defendant 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,” his lawyers said in a cease and desist letter sent to Viral Style according to The Blast.
“Defendant therefore traded off the goodwill and reputation of Antetokounmpo by engaging in the unauthorized use of Antetokounmpo’s trademark and publicity rights,” the letter continued.
However Antetokounmpo’s legal team voluntarily agreed to have the lawsuit dismissed in favor of the settlement.
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The litigation is the second this year for Antetokounmpo. In August, Antetokounmpo settled a different $2 million lawsuit against a Pennsylvania based-artist named Jinder Bhogal.
“The parties have agreed to a settlement in principle and are currently negotiating the terms of a settlement agreement and dismissal,” documents for that case read. “An extension of time will thus aid in resolving this dispute without further litigation. Plaintiff has consented to this extension.”
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