A media and commerce company founded by four prominent athletes sued the XFL this week for trademark infringement, seeking to bar the league from using the logo and branding it unveiled in April in anticipation of its 2023 return to the field.
Togethxr -- founded by basketball player Sue Bird, soccer player Alex Morgan, swimmer Simone Manuel and snowboarder Chloe Kim -- also accused the XFL of unfair competition and false designation. It is also seeking to capture the XFL's profits for using the logo since April, as well as costs for corrective advertising and damages to the Togethxr brand.
"Without Togethxr's authorization or approval, XFL Properties has attempted to revive its image with a brand that appropriates the stylization and mimics the brand originally adopted and carefully built by Togethxr."
This image is included in a lawsuit filed this week by @togethxr against the @XFL2023, citing trademark infringement. pic.twitter.com/iMi4QsrWaH
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) June 3, 2022
In a statement provided Friday to ESPN, Togethxr said it sent the XFL a cease and desist notice in April and added: "Our co-founders have worked tremendously hard to build a platform that elevates and centers women across sports and culture. We are a brand where representation, diversity, inclusivity, and equality are the norm, and while we commend the XFL on their move towards being more inclusive, we don't feel that needs to come at the expense of the TOGETHXR brand. We continue to look to the XFL for a reasonable resolution."
The XFL did not respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the central district of California.
ESPN reporters Paula Lavigne and Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.