Hackney Council may sue Nike for logo use

Hackney Council is threatening to sue sportswear giant Nike for using the symbol of its borough on Nike merchandise. The council is demanding Nike withdraws sportswear bearing the logo until the dispute is settled and wants a percentage of sales revenue, free sportswear for all schoolchildren and an assurance that all the Hackney range is manufactured ethically.

The council claims Nike uses the Hackney symbol on T-shirts, vests, trainers and even footballs without permission. The council has used the logo since 1965 and Nike has incorporated it on its products for about six months. A council employee was first to spot it in Nike's Oxford Street shop. Ironically, Nike is notoriously protective of its own trademark. The US firm is values at £11 billion, making it the world's largest. It appears to have chosen to market a Hackney range because of the close association between football and Hackney Marshes - the largest concentration of pitches in Europe.

David Beckham, Bobby Moore and Sir Geoff Hurst all developed there. Hackney mayor Jules Pips told the Evening Standard: "WE have been using this logo for more than 40 years - since before England won the World Cup. I was shocked that such a huge, global company would use it without even approaching us for permission. Nike have taken, for their own profit, something that belongs to the people of Hackney. They have now offered to meet us and I hope they will have the decency to offer a fair settlement and save this going to court. We have asked them to withdraw all merchandise until this issue can be settled."

Hackney claim the goods are sold across the glove, with evidence it is being marketed in Japan, Germany, the US and Italy. Tops on the Niketown website with the Hackney Symbol and the words "London Borough of Hackney" around it, are selling for approximate £13. A lawyer stated the case may not be straightforward because it was unlikely the logo was registered as a trademark but there might be a claim for passing off. "It is a legal can of worms," he said. Nike stated: "We're surprised at Hackney having made comment."