Why is Jim Pons suing the Jets? Former employee voices grievance against Woody Johnson's franchise
Jim Pons worked with the New York Jets for several decades. During his time with the NFL franchise, Pons took on several different roles and went up the hierarchy of the franchise. Now the former employee is suing the Jets and seeking compensation.
Pons started working for the Jets in 1973 and retired in 2000 when Woody Johnson purchased the team for $635 million. In 1978, the franchise sought to redesign its logo and Pons submitted his design featuring the letter 'J' as an airplane wing over the letters ‘ETS.’
At the time, Pons worked as the New York Jets’ film and video director. His design was selected and became the team's logo from 1978 to 1997. In 2022, the Jets brought the logo back for a few games and earlier this year; they decided to keep it for the entirety of the season.
As per TMZ, Pons has filed a lawsuit against the Jets to stop them from using the logo, claiming that he owns the trademark. The lawsuit further claims that the Jets must either compensate him or obtain his prior consent before using the logo.
In April, when the Jets announced their decision to bring back the logo created by Jim Pons, Woody Johnson and the front office decided to honor Pons with an 8-minute video, featuring Pons and the logo.
The 81-year-old Pons, among other demands, has also asked for unspecified damages in his lawsuit against the Jets.
Woody Johnson and the Jets respond to Jim Pons
With the new season ready to begin, the Jets have been moving merchandise featuring the logo created by Jim Pons. As such, the Jets front office did not waste much time to have their say. In a statement to the New York Post, the franchise put forth:
“We are aware of the complaint. The mark in question has been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for nearly 50 years."
"The mark has been used continuously in numerous iterations since that time. We find this claim baseless and without merit.”
As this matter moves into the judicial process, it will be resolved either through court proceedings or with an out-of-court settlement. Only time will tell which road Woody Johnson and Jim Pons will take.