The Luka Dončić mother lawsuit was a U.S. trademark cancellation proceeding the NBA star filed against his mother, Mirjam Poterbin, in September 2022, seeking to undo a “LUKA DONCIC 7” trademark she had registered with his consent in 2018. The two settled quietly in December 2022 without disclosing terms, and the registration has remained in Poterbin’s name in public records since.
How His Mother Ended Up Owning the Trademark
In November 2018, during his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, a 19-year-old Dončić signed a written consent letting his mother register “LUKA DONCIC 7” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The number referenced the jersey he had worn at Real Madrid, and the logo turned the “L” into an upside-down 7 with a second 7 beneath the “D.”1The Dallas Morning News. Mavericks Star Luka Doncic and His Mother Have Quietly Settled Trademark Dispute The USPTO registered the mark on January 7, 2020, covering apparel, footwear, cosmetics, basketball camps, computer games, and other goods and services across six international classes.2Justia Trademarks. LUKA DONCIC 7 – Trademark Details
Poterbin had run her son’s off-court business since he signed with Real Madrid at age 13, drawing on her experience as a small business owner in Slovenia.3People. All About Luka Doncic’s Parents
Why Dončić Wanted It Back
After signing a $207 million contract extension in the summer of 2021, Dončić formed a Delaware company, identified in filings as Luka99, Inc. or Luka77, Inc., to manage his name, image, and likeness.4Bloomberg Law. Luka Doncic Bid to Get Trademark Back From Mom a Legal Jump Ball That company applied to the USPTO in 2021 to register “LUKA DONCIC” and “ORIGINAL HOOPS OF LUKA DONCIC.” The agency preliminarily refused both, finding them too similar to Poterbin’s earlier “LUKA DONCIC 7” registration and likely to cause consumer confusion.5Sportico. Luka Doncic Trademark Dispute
His mother’s mark was effectively blocking him from registering his own name. It also stood in the way of a “Luka Doncic 77” brand tied to his NBA jersey number and complicated control over his charitable foundation and business ventures.4Bloomberg Law. Luka Doncic Bid to Get Trademark Back From Mom a Legal Jump Ball6BasketNews. Luka Doncic Ends the Trademark Battle With His Mother Mirjam Poterbin
The Revocation Letter and the Cancellation Petition
On July 23, 2021, Dončić sent his mother a written notice revoking the 2018 consent. He told her he wanted to “consolidate his brand without her involvement,” adding, “It’s important to me to control my own brand and focus on giving back to my communities.”1The Dallas Morning News. Mavericks Star Luka Doncic and His Mother Have Quietly Settled Trademark Dispute Journalist Marc Stein, who broke the story in September 2022, reported that Dončić’s legal team had made “numerous attempts to negotiate a transfer of control” before turning to formal action.7Marc Stein Substack. Doncic Petitions for Trademark Control
When negotiations failed, his company filed a petition on September 6, 2022, with the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board seeking cancellation of Poterbin’s registration. The proceeding was docketed as Luka99, Inc. v. Poterbin.8NBC DFW. Luka Doncic Files Petition for Trademark Control in Legal Conflict With His Mom The petition raised three arguments:
- Abandonment. Dončić argued that neither Poterbin nor any licensee was actually using the “LUKA DONCIC 7” mark in U.S. commerce, which can be grounds for cancellation under federal trademark law.5Sportico. Luka Doncic Trademark Dispute
- False suggestion of a connection. The petition contended that the mark falsely implied Dončić endorsed or was affiliated with Poterbin’s goods and services when he was not.6BasketNews. Luka Doncic Ends the Trademark Battle With His Mother Mirjam Poterbin
- Revocation of consent. Dončić argued that his 2021 letter withdrawing consent invalidated the registration under Section 2(c) of the Lanham Act, which generally prohibits registering a living person’s name without written permission.9AEI. NBA Star Luka Doncic’s Legendary Trademark Battle
The Unsettled Legal Question
The consent argument was the most novel piece of the case. The Lanham Act requires a living person’s consent before someone else can register their name, but the statute says nothing about whether that consent can be withdrawn later, and the USPTO’s own manual is silent on the point.10Houston Law Review. Of Marks and Minors
Courts that have looked at similar questions have split. One case ordered a registration canceled for lack of valid consent; another held that the registration remained valid because the statute requires consent only at the time of filing, not on an ongoing basis.10Houston Law Review. Of Marks and Minors Because the parties settled before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board could rule, the case produced no precedent.
Commentators noted the stakes reached beyond one family. If athletes cannot reclaim marks registered by others with their initial consent, young professionals risk losing long-term control over their own names, a concern that has grown with college name, image, and likeness deals where student athletes often involve family members in commercial decisions early.4Bloomberg Law. Luka Doncic Bid to Get Trademark Back From Mom a Legal Jump Ball
How It Ended
On December 5, 2022, Dončić formally terminated the cancellation petition. The Dallas Morning News reported in January 2023 that the two sides had “quietly resolved” the conflict, a characterization confirmed by public USPTO records.1The Dallas Morning News. Mavericks Star Luka Doncic and His Mother Have Quietly Settled Trademark Dispute Attorneys for both sides declined to comment, and no terms were disclosed.11Denton Record-Chronicle. Mavericks Star Luka Doncic and His Mother Have Quietly Settled Trademark Dispute
As of the most recent public records, the “LUKA DONCIC 7” registration remained in Poterbin’s name.6BasketNews. Luka Doncic Ends the Trademark Battle With His Mother Mirjam Poterbin Dončić has since moved to a different visual identity. A logo he debuted in September 2021 shapes his jersey number 77 into his initials “LD” with an outline of an “S” for Slovenia, and appears on his Jordan Brand apparel and footwear and across his business and charitable ventures.12Sports Business Journal. Luka Doncic Trademark Dispute Resolved
Where the Relationship Stands
Neither Dončić nor Poterbin has spoken publicly about how the dispute affected them personally. Reporting from April 2024 noted that Poterbin attended a Mavericks game against the Houston Rockets to cheer her son, which Marca characterized by saying “there now appears to be little bad blood between mother and son.”13Marca. Luka Doncic and Mirjam Poterbin Relationship She was also seen at a later game after his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.14Times of India. Luka Doncic’s Mother Attends Los Angeles Lakers Match