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All About Jim Pons, Former Jets Employee, Suing NFL Team Over Throwback Logo
Discover the details about the ex-Jets employee who is taking legal action against the team over the use of their throwback logo. Learn about the lawsuit and its implications.
A former employee of the New York Jets, Jim Pons, is suing the team and the NFL for unspecified damages. He has alleged that the Jets have been using a logo he designed without proper compensation.
According to a report by TMZ, Pons claims that he created the logo in the late 1970s, which he made while he was serving as the team's film and video director. However, he has never received payment for his work.
Ex-Jets employee Jim Pons demands the worth of his work
Pons filed a lawsuit, asserting that he designed the logo. He even added that it was outside the scope of his job duties while employed with the Jets. The logo in question features the team's name and a football with an oval shape.
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The logo was first introduced in 1978. It prominently displays the word JETS with a football graphic positioned below the text, all enclosed within an oval. This design includes a jet plane above the letters E-T-S. It served as the team's primary logo until 1997.
In his lawsuit, Pons is seeking a judicial order to cancel the Jets' trademark of the logo. He also wants a ruling that prevents the team from using or selling merchandise featuring the logo, especially without his consent or compensation.
The Jets, in a statement to The Post, dismissed the lawsuit as baseless. They stated, “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.” They also added, “The mark has been used continuously in numerous iterations since that time. We find this claim baseless and without merit.”
Despite the legal dispute, the Jets began using the logo again in 2023. They announced that they would return to the design full-time for the upcoming season. This decision was intended to pay homage to the Sack Exchange era. It was a period in the team's history known for its formidable defensive line.
Jim Pons shares his side of the story in an eight-minute-long video
Pons, who worked for the Jets from 1973 until 2000, shared his story in a promotional video released in April. In the eight-minute video, Pons detailed how he conceived the design.
He recounted how he experimented with tilting the letters and adding a jet plane on top. Pons said, "I thought it would be nice to just have the name and it's kind of moving in a direction.”
He also shared, “Then I started fooling around with it and tilting the letters, and then I thought a jet plane on the top of this would look pretty cool,"
Pons said in the video, "I fooled around with it for a few days and it started to come into fruition and it started to look pretty good. And I gave it to them and they liked it and they used it. They took it and the next thing I knew it was the logo."
In the video, Pons expressed his feelings about the team returning to his design. The Jets informed him of their decision to revert to the logo, and Pons felt a sense of pride over its continued popularity. "It made me feel good," he said, reflecting on the lasting impact of his work.
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The lawsuit highlights the ongoing issue of intellectual property rights and fair compensation, especially for creative contributions made by employees outside their formal job descriptions. Pons' case underscores the importance of clear agreements and recognition for creative works, even decades after their creation.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the Jets and the NFL will need to address these allegations and the implications for the team's branding and merchandise sales. Let us know in the comments what your thoughts are about the lawsuit.
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