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U.S. Olympic Committee sues Prime, Logan Paul's energy drink brand, alleging trademark infringement

Updated on: July 21, 2024 / 12:14 AM EDT / CBS Colorado

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the Colorado-based organization that oversees U.S. Olympic teams, filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday accusing Prime — Logan Paul's energy drink company — of infringing on the committee's trademarks.

In its lawsuit, the committee specifically alleges that Prime uses symbols and phrases trademarked by the committee on one of its drinks featuring Olympic gold medalist and NBA forward Kevin Durant.

Attorneys for the Olympic Committee called the company's acts, "willful, deliberate, and in bad faith."

An excerpt of a federal lawsuit shows marketing material by PRIME, a beverage brand, that the U.S. Olympic Committee says infringes on their trademarks. U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

"Prime Hydration has used the following Olympic-related terminology and trademarks on product packaging, Internet advertising and in promotions featuring a Prime Hydration flavor and athlete Kevin Durant," the complaint reads.

Prime was founded in 2022 by Paul and YouTube star, boxer and musician KSI. It sells energy drinks with caffeine, as well as sports drinks with electrolytes and no caffeine.

The complaint further alleges that Prime continued to sell and market the drink over a week after attorneys sent the company a cease-and-desist letter.

"Despite numerous requests from USOPC, Defendant did not remove all infringing social media posts," the Friday complaint read. "Defendant is still actively infringing USOPC marks."

One online posting for the drink urges customers to, "step up your hydration game with the Kevin Durant Olympic Prime Drink!"

The Olympic Committee noted that while it sometimes partners with brands to boost sales and bring in revenue for U.S. national teams and the committee, it never had any agreement with Prime.

A Coca-Cola truck passes by the National Assembly to celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games with an exhibition featuring 6 transformed Venus de Milo statues by the visual artist Laurent Perbos, on July 15, 2024, in Paris France. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

"Specifically, the USOPC has an agreement with Coca-Cola that allows it exclusive use of OLYMPIC trademarks, including OLYMPIC and TEAM USA for beverages in the United States," the complaint reads. "Coca-Cola made a significant monetary contribution for such rights and has extensively used the OLYMPIC trademarks in connection with the promotion and sale of beverages in the U.S. and abroad."

The committee said Prime's branding could fool customers into thinking otherwise, and was "likely to cause confusion, mistake, and deception among the consumers as to the origin and quality of the goods and services," and could deceive them into thinking the drink was endorsed by the USOPC.

Representatives for Prime did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

The United States Olympic Training Center on May 14, 2015 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tom Pennington / Getty Images

In July 2023, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked the FDA to investigate Prime, and warned parents about the drink and the high amount of caffeine it contains. The following month, a California law firm sued the company after Paul said the drinks contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or "PFAS."

The 2024 Summer Olympics take place in Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11.

Austen Erblat

Austen Erblat is a digital producer and assignment editor at CBS News Colorado and is Covering Colorado First. Originally from South Florida, he's been working as a journalist in Denver since 2022.

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