Nike has finally responded to the lawsuit over the iconic Air Jordan "Jumpman" logo and has called it "meritless."
Two months ago, it was reported that photographer Jacobus Rentmeester was suing Nike for using his original photograph of Michael Jordan as Jordan Brand's "Jumpman" logo. Nike is asking the court to drop the lawsuit immediately, arguing that that there simply are not enough similarities between Rentmeester's 1984 photo and its world famous Jumpman logo. As stated by Ninth Circuit law, it can only be considered copyright infringement if the two images are "virtually identical."
"Simply put, 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," explained Nike.
And they didn't stop there. Nike goes on to break down the differences between MJ's hand and leg positions, as well as addressing the fact that their logo uses a silhouette whereas Rentmeester's original was a full color composition.
You can read Nike's full response at Portland Business Journal.
