According to a report in the New York Times, there may apparently only be room in town for one New York City Triathlon.
A district court in Manhattan has ruled in favour of the New York City Triathlon event in an injunction against the NYC Triathlon Club. The organisers of the New York City Triathlon argued that the NYC tri club’s name infringed state and federal trademark laws.
“We have spent 10 years and thousands of hours making the New York City Triathlon a successful brand,” said John Korff, the owner of the race. “When you have created a race of this size, you need to be ready to defend it.”
As noted in the New York Times, the ruling itself could have broader implications. A number of independent triathlon clubs and races use city names and are organised throughout the US, from New York to Chicago and Los Angeles.
Also quoted in the New York Times is Jack Caress, a long time race director who organises the Los Angeles and Cleveland triathlons. “It’s another sign that what was once a mom and pop sport is now big business,” he said.
“Since it’s gotten bigger, we’ve been seeing more legal issues – people not getting along. That’s what’s being played out in New York City.”
The NYC Triathlon Club was formerly known as the SBR Triathlon Club and was organised out of the SBR Multisports tri store in Midtown Manhattan. The club president, Christophe Vandaele, who also owns the store, had hoped to model the NYC Triathlon Club after the LA Tri Club, which has 1,700 members and uses its US$70 annual dues to organise training camps, ocean swims and coaching.
Vandaele changed the club’s name to NYC Triathlon Club on 1 January.
“There is a major club with a city name in many cities, but not this one,” Vandaele said. “We wanted it to be a cooperative club without any attachments to any one business.”
It is reported that Vandaele did not consult Korff before making the name change. Race organiser Korff reportedly sent three ‘cease-and-desist’ letters to Vandaele in early January. On 27 January, Korff filed applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the names ‘NYC Triathlon’, ‘NYC Tri’ and ‘New York City Triathlon’.
Judge Colleen McMahon of the Southern District Court of New York called the race’s arguments “highly meritorious” and was critical of the club for appearing in court without a lawyer. McMahon gave the club 30 days to file an appeal.
