A Las Vegas law firm ran a local commercial during the Super Bowl. And within days, the Raiders and NFL allegedly made threats, which then prompted a lawsuit.
What’s at issue? It’s all about whether a black and silver color scheme violates a trademark.
The league claims that Steve Dimopoulos, a personal injury lawyer, violated an NFL copyright when Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby appeared in his commercial wearing Raiders colors. The NFL sent a cease-and-desist letter. And the letter threatened “heightened legal penalties” if the firm didn’t delete the commercial.
The league, which accused the law firm of trademark infringement, gave Dimopoulos until March 1 to remove the ad. Instead, he filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Raiders and the NFL. Crosby appeared in the commercial with hockey star Williams Karlsson and UFC fighter Jon Jones.
Lawsuit Against Raiders Claims Firm Has Used Black, Silver in Ads Since 2012
In the ad, which has no dialogue with the athletes, you briefly see part of Crosby’s Raider jersey. It’s photographed from the back to show his name. Later in the commercial, Crosby puts on his helmet, but you never see the logo. However, Crosby is wearing black and silver, the Raiders’ colors.
The Raiders moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020. Dimopolous told Fox News Digital that he’s used a black and silver color scheme and logo in his ads for more than a decade.
“[The Raiders] come to town, and they have the same color scheme. And they’re taking this position that I can’t use my own colors in this Super Bowl ad I just ran because it’s trademark infringement,” the lawyer said.
“We were very careful not to use any Raiders logos,” Dimopolous said. “The only logos that appear in the commercial are my law firm’s logos. Some people say that kinda resembles the Raiders’ mark. It really doesn’t. To the extent that it does, it’s the same analysis. I was using that same logo here in Vegas long before they came here.”
The NFL and the Raiders organization has not made a public comment about the lawsuit.
Marc Randazza represents Dimopoulous in the lawsuit against the Raiders and NFL. He issued a statement to the media when he filed the suit.
“The NFL has been a trademark bully for too long,” Randazza said. “Everybody just caves in when they threaten them. … All Dimopoulos is seeking in this case is to be left alone. The NFL does not own the colors silver and black, and my client has a right to continue using his color scheme.”
The league also took issue with the law firm using Raiders-themed hashtags on social media posts.
