The Olympics lawsuit against Prime Hydration was a trademark infringement case the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee filed in July 2024 over a Kevin Durant special-edition bottle that used “Olympic,” “Team USA,” “Olympian,” and “Going for the Gold” without authorization. The parties settled on undisclosed terms, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado dismissed the case with prejudice on January 15, 2025.1World IP Review. USOPC v. Prime Hydration LLC, Stipulation of Dismissal
What Prime Did
Prime Hydration announced a Kevin Durant partnership on July 9, 2024, days before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The special-edition bottle carried a navy blue design with a gold-bordered logo and the text “3X Olympic Gold Medalist and counting…” above a gold star.2Bleacher Report. Kevin Durant Partners With Logan Paul’s Prime on Drink Ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics
The campaign wrapped Olympic language around the product across every channel. According to the complaint, Prime used phrases including “Kevin Durant Olympic Prime Drink,” “Celebrate Greatness with the Kevin Durant Olympic Prime Drink!,” “Olympic Achievements,” “Kevin Durant Olympic Legacy,” “PRIME HYDRATION Team USA Kevin Durant Drink,” and “New Special Edition KEVIN DURANT USA OLYMPICS Bottle” on its website, Instagram, LinkedIn, and in advertising copy sent to retail stores.3U.S. District Court, D. Colorado. USOPC v. Prime Hydration LLC, Complaint
What the USOPC Claimed
The USOPC filed suit on July 19, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, one day after the Olympic blackout period began. The committee accused Prime of infringing four marks: “Olympic,” “Olympian,” “Team USA,” and “Going for the Gold.” Its claims arose under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the Lanham Act, and Colorado state law.3U.S. District Court, D. Colorado. USOPC v. Prime Hydration LLC, Complaint
The USOPC said it had sent Prime a demand letter on July 10, 2024, and that Prime kept using the marks after receiving it. The committee treated that as willful infringement.4Front Office Sports. Olympic Committee, Prime Hydration Reach Settlement
The relief sought was broad: preliminary and permanent injunctions, a recall of all infringing products, all profits from the infringing sales, damages for harm to sponsorship agreements, trebled damages for willful infringement, punitive damages under Colorado law, and attorneys’ fees.3U.S. District Court, D. Colorado. USOPC v. Prime Hydration LLC, Complaint
The Coca-Cola Damages Theory
The damages case leaned heavily on the USOPC’s exclusive beverage sponsorship with Coca-Cola. For the Paris Games, Coca-Cola held the exclusive right to use “Olympic” and “Team USA” on beverages in the United States under a licensing deal the USOPC said required a “significant monetary contribution.”5Just Drinks. Prime Hydration Sued by US Olympic Body for Alleged Trademark Infringement The wider Coca-Cola and China Mengniu Dairy Olympic sponsorship spanning 2021 to 2032 was valued at roughly $3 billion.6Finnegan. Unpacking Prime Hydration’s Olympic TM Suit The committee argued that Prime’s unauthorized Olympic-themed drink undercut that exclusivity, causing “millions of dollars in damages.”
How the Case Ended
Prime pulled the Durant collaboration from its website and social media by late July 2024, though some retail stores still stocked the bottle as of July 22.7Vulture. US Olympics, Logan Paul Prime Lawsuit, Kevin Durant On November 7, 2024, Prime moved to dismiss counts two through six of the complaint for failure to state a claim, but that motion never reached a ruling. The parties filed a joint status report on December 2, 2024, indicating they had settled.8CourtListener. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee v. Prime Hydration, LLC
On January 15, 2025, the parties filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii), and the court signed the dismissal order the same day. Each side bore its own attorneys’ fees and costs.1World IP Review. USOPC v. Prime Hydration LLC, Stipulation of Dismissal Dismissal with prejudice means the USOPC cannot refile these same claims against Prime.
The financial terms were never disclosed.4Front Office Sports. Olympic Committee, Prime Hydration Reach Settlement The USOPC had asked for millions, but no reporting has revealed whether any money changed hands or what conditions, if any, apply to Prime’s future marketing.
Why the USOPC Held the Stronger Hand
Olympic marks get more protection than ordinary trademarks. Under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act at 36 U.S.C. § 220506, the USOPC has the exclusive right to use and license words like “Olympic,” “Olympiad,” and “Paralympic,” along with the five-ring emblem and related symbols.9USOPC. Commercial and Brand Usage Guidelines
Two features made Prime’s position especially weak. The USOPC does not have to prove consumer confusion, which is normally the core of a trademark case. And the usual defenses of fair use, abandonment, and functionality are unavailable. The Supreme Court confirmed both features in San Francisco Arts & Athletics, Inc. v. U.S. Olympic Committee, 483 U.S. 522 (1987), which upheld an injunction against “Gay Olympic Games” and rejected a First Amendment challenge.10Villanova University School of Law. Olympic Intellectual Property The statute carves out only narrow exceptions for uses predating 1950 and certain geographic references in Washington state, neither relevant to Prime.6Finnegan. Unpacking Prime Hydration’s Olympic TM Suit
The Blackout Period Timing
Prime’s launch also landed inside the Olympic Charter’s Rule 40 blackout window, which for the Paris Games ran from July 18 through August 13. During that window, non-official sponsors must obtain permission through the USOPC’s Rule 40 system, and their advertising is restricted to either generic brand promotion or limited athlete-recognition posts, with the two categories kept separate. Athlete thank-you posts on personal social media are capped at seven, sponsor recognition posts on corporate channels are limited to one per athlete, and neither may reference Olympic intellectual property or imply an official relationship with the Games.11Finnegan. Going for Advertising Gold: Guidelines for Advertising During the Olympic and Paralympic Games Prime’s Olympic-branded Durant bottle launched squarely inside that window.