>Kim started using the “S” logo first. After a year passed without a challenge, he became the owner. Then he started using the name “Seattle Metropolitans.” The owner challenged him, and they settled out of court, making him the owner of that, too. How much did it cost? “Thousands,” Kim said. “But I would say less than tens of thousands.”
Moetown84
Love all the Reddit lawyers in this thread.
DaHealey
I know the Reddit law scholars aren’t going to agree, but it looks like the Kraken are going to pay out something here.
And for the people who didn’t read the article – the kraken didn’t even buy the rights to use that metropolitans banner in cpa.
SecretInevitable
I hope when he inevitably loses this lawsuit, the team countersues him so badly the only way he stays above water is to sell them the rights
LittleNobody60
This is fascinating. Spurned on by the jersey no doubt. Wonder what sort of offers he was getting to keep turning them down.
First-Radish727
I figured Kim filed suit now because he knows that once the Kraken play in the Winter Classic jersey the value of his Metropolitans trademark is going to be greatly diminished.
pilotofthemind
What a pathetic greed streak! Kraken art dept figured a way around the nonsense. GeniuS! The pros. Vibes of Mets. As we all already know, they’re one and the same with and without PK. No one has time for this nonsense when we all know the two are practically synonymous and intrinsically linked due to the wealth of city hockey history, 100+ years. See banner.
So the creative talent trolled this trademark troll when he was looking high and low for a payout. I doubt they didn’t figure out if KRAKEN written inside their own brand identity would be a violation of their friend/“fan” PK’s “owned” vintage artwork. I wonder if they weren’t fucking worried when they sold the history better, to the world, for hundreds of dollars. Oh, but the stripes!!? PK demands infamy!
tonytanti
At least when the same thing happened in Vancouver, the guy who owned the millionaires logo was the 80s metal musician Thor.
therealchipperino
Paul Kim himself used the logo illegally and eventually obtained the rights in court after the previous owner challenged him. So he’s mad at the Kraken for allegedly doing the same? What a greedy POS, it’s only going to serve to backfire on him as I know he was already making very little money with the rights and now people are going to stop buying his stuff altogether. He could have taken the 5% and made bank but he decided to be a hypocrite. Nobody is going to win from this and it’ll ultimately hurt the fans more than anything. Absolutely despicable; very obvious he doesn’t care about the brand, he only wants to be compensated for contributing absolutely nothing.
juiceboxzero
Kim unquestionably makes more money because the Kraken exist. Now is mad because the Kraken want to make some money on that relationship too? GTFO.
Alleging $2.5 in lost revenue… Hope he does the math on how much of the rest of his revenue he wouldn’t have if not for the hockey hype the Kraken brought.
lampstore
Sports was better when I was a kid and could be like “that jersey is cool” and not now where I’m like “Ah yes the Winter Classic Jersey invokes Metropolitans history while avoiding infringing details, I’m sure the lawyers were consulted”.
MurrayInBocaRaton
This Kim dude is such a pest.
TheDucksTales
Lawyers here, where do you think this is going to end up?
21 Comments
Did the guy grab the metropolitans logo solely to sell merch / cash grab it?
This trademark troll shows his true colors with a frivolous lawsuit.
Dude bought a 100 year old trademark to do this shit.
Fuck him.
What a loser.
hope he runs into the legal precedent set in the landmark case “lol go pound sand, nerd”
What a douche canoe.
I was thinking of buying one of those vintage Seattle Metropolitans jerseys from Simply Seattle but after reading this…screw that guy.
The logos are in no way similar… this is ludicrous
Paul Kim [basically walked into this trademark as a way to extort the NHL and fans.](https://www.nhl.com/news/seattle-nhl-expansion-team-can-build-on-legacy-of-metropolitans-303234234) He himself didn’t own it when he first started making money off of it, and now he wants millions for it, what a tool and a hypocrite. Friends don’t let friends buy Metropolitans gear.
>Kim started using the “S” logo first. After a year passed without a challenge, he became the owner. Then he started using the name “Seattle Metropolitans.” The owner challenged him, and they settled out of court, making him the owner of that, too.
How much did it cost?
“Thousands,” Kim said. “But I would say less than tens of thousands.”
Love all the Reddit lawyers in this thread.
I know the Reddit law scholars aren’t going to agree, but it looks like the Kraken are going to pay out something here.
And for the people who didn’t read the article – the kraken didn’t even buy the rights to use that metropolitans banner in cpa.
I hope when he inevitably loses this lawsuit, the team countersues him so badly the only way he stays above water is to sell them the rights
This is fascinating. Spurned on by the jersey no doubt. Wonder what sort of offers he was getting to keep turning them down.
I figured Kim filed suit now because he knows that once the Kraken play in the Winter Classic jersey the value of his Metropolitans trademark is going to be greatly diminished.
What a pathetic greed streak! Kraken art dept figured a way around the nonsense. GeniuS! The pros. Vibes of Mets. As we all already know, they’re one and the same with and without PK. No one has time for this nonsense when we all know the two are practically synonymous and intrinsically linked due to the wealth of city hockey history, 100+ years. See banner.
So the creative talent trolled this trademark troll when he was looking high and low for a payout. I doubt they didn’t figure out if KRAKEN written inside their own brand identity would be a violation of their friend/“fan” PK’s “owned” vintage artwork. I wonder if they weren’t fucking worried when they sold the history better, to the world, for hundreds of dollars. Oh, but the stripes!!? PK demands infamy!
At least when the same thing happened in Vancouver, the guy who owned the millionaires logo was the 80s metal musician Thor.
Paul Kim himself used the logo illegally and eventually obtained the rights in court after the previous owner challenged him. So he’s mad at the Kraken for allegedly doing the same? What a greedy POS, it’s only going to serve to backfire on him as I know he was already making very little money with the rights and now people are going to stop buying his stuff altogether. He could have taken the 5% and made bank but he decided to be a hypocrite. Nobody is going to win from this and it’ll ultimately hurt the fans more than anything. Absolutely despicable; very obvious he doesn’t care about the brand, he only wants to be compensated for contributing absolutely nothing.
Kim unquestionably makes more money because the Kraken exist. Now is mad because the Kraken want to make some money on that relationship too? GTFO.
Alleging $2.5 in lost revenue… Hope he does the math on how much of the rest of his revenue he wouldn’t have if not for the hockey hype the Kraken brought.
Sports was better when I was a kid and could be like “that jersey is cool” and not now where I’m like “Ah yes the Winter Classic Jersey invokes Metropolitans history while avoiding infringing details, I’m sure the lawyers were consulted”.
This Kim dude is such a pest.
Lawyers here, where do you think this is going to end up?