We’ve commented before on the recent trend for sports teams to revert to old logo designs, from the Anaheim Ducks to the new LA Kings logo. Fan service? Perhaps. Others suggest laziness. But if the New York Jets were hoping their recent bout of nostalgia would allow them to avoid the cost of creating a new logo, it appears they may have a problem.
The designer of the New York Jets logo is now suing the team, claiming that he wasn’t paid for the readopted design when he first created it back in the 1970s.
The current New York Jets logo is an updated version of a design used from 1978 to 1997 (Image credit: New York Jets)
As we reported back in April, the Jets have made some tweaks to the old logo design for its current resurrection, refining the characters and adjusting the weight and spacing of certain elements, but it’s very much based on a design first used in 1978.
According to TMZ Sports, Jim Pons, now 81, has filed a lawsuit in New York claiming that he created that logo while he was working as a film and video director for the NFL team. As such, the design work fell outside of the scope of his agreement.
With the team now raking in profits from new merchandise featuring the retro logo, Pons claims he should be compensated for his work. He’s suing for unspecified damages. He wants the court to cancel the Jets’ trademark of the design and to rule that the team can’t use it on uniforms or merchandise without his consent.
