How $70 million worth Giannis Antetokounmpo successfully sued a seller of phone cases that use his likeness and protected his valuable intellectual property

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most accomplished modern basketball players.

At the age of 27, the Greek Freak has won all that is there to be won. His loyalty and endearing personality have made him a fan favorite in the NBA.

Antetokounpo is one of the rare few players to have a signature basketball shoe line. Giannis is the face of Nike’s Zoom Fream range of shoes and is one of their most prized endorsers. Further, his candid persona and his dad jokes have made him quite the social media celebrity too.

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Antetokounpo has also been one of the most active ones among athletes with respect to protecting their commercial rights.

Giannis has actively hunted down benefactors of his name and persona. The Greek Freak has been a constant in intellectual property suits, particularly in New York.

One of Giannis’ latest suits was served to an individual named Adam Dunne who conducted sales via a website called “ballcases”.

Why did Giannis sue “ballcases” and Dunne?

Dunne, via “ballcases”, was selling phone cases with Giannis’ jersey and jersey number represented on them. The cases used the colors associated with the Milwaukee Bucks and based the cases evidently on the Green superstar.

Giannis’ lawyers presented a strong case for exploitation and commercial use of the star’s status. Any unauthorized commercial use of likelinesses amounts to a violation of one’s personality rights. The value associated with such rights and the resultant evaluation of damages depends on the person’s popularity.

Giannis’ claim would have surrounded the profits earned by the counterfeiter. However, eventually, a settlement was reached.

With Giannis being an extremely popular athlete and the face of a franchise, the value associated with such a suit could have possibly gone into millions. Any settlement amount would have added nicely to Giannis’ hard-earned kitty.

The Greek star’s success in this realm should serve as a reminder to other NBA stars. Protecting one’s likeness is a crucial part of any celebrity’s life and constant efforts against counterfeiting can be monetarily rewarding too.

Also read: 6’11 Giannis Antetokounmpo cleaned courts, got laughed at by reporters, and then won 2 MVPs