Just Do It. Those three words have been ubiquitous with Nike for nearly 30 years, having first been introduced in 1988. WWE created its own version of that iconic slogan, “Just Bring It,” 15 years ago for The Rock, and has since plastered it across T-shirts, video games, DVDs and more. Nike, to their credit, kept it cool about this potential trademark infringement — until now.
In October 2014, WWE filed for federal trademark protection with “Just Bring It.” Fourteen months later, the trademark was published for opposition, which, according to Forbes, allows “any party who believed it would be damaged by the registration of ‘Just Bring It’ [to] file a notice of opposition.” Nike has responded in kind, claiming the marks are too similar and will cause confusion in the marketplace, as well as dilute their own brand.
This isn’t exactly a lawsuit yet — WWE has 30 days to respond to Nike’s opposition of their mark, at which point this may reach a peaceful resolution. But given how much money there is to be made with emblazoning “JUST BRING IT” on Tapout gear — and considering WWE Shop is already selling a half-dozen “JUST BRING IT”-branded items — it’s entirely possible WWE might send their cadre of lawyers into battle over this one.
Things get even more complicated since The Rock has signed a deal with Under Armour which, as seen in the photo above, has created a “JUST BRING IT” shirt, although this item has yet to be made available commercially. There’s no word on if Nike is planning any action against UA, however.
