Thanks Fritz for this one.
Nike Inc. NKE.N has a message for video game publisher Sega of America and its recent basketball ads: Just don"t do it.
The world"s largest maker of athletic shoes and clothing, filed suit in federal court on Thursday against Sega and its advertising agency claiming their television ad featuring a shattering dunk shot was an unfair copy of an earlier Nike campaign starring basketball legend Michael Jordan.
In the suit filed in federal court in Oregon, Nike alleges that the commercial produced by Sega and Leagas Delaney Inc. to promote Sega"s "NBA 2K2" basketball game is too similar to a Nike ad called "Frozen Moment" that depicted Jordan in slow motion.
"Sega has seen Nike"s press release. However, to our knowledge, we have not yet received an official complaint from the company. Therefore, we can not discuss this legal issue at this time," a spokeswoman for Sega said.
Nike"s suit claims copyright infringement and unfair competition. The Beaverton, Oregon-based company is asking for an injunction barring the ad from further airplay, an order impounding copies of the ad; and either damages for the alleged infringement or a royalty on every copy of the game sold.