Nike Says Rapper’s Company Gnarcotic Infringing on Trademarks

Nike Inc. filed a federal lawsuit in California against rapper Lil Gnar’s clothing company, Gnarcotic LLC, alleging their sneaker designs infringe on its marks.

Gnarcotic is selling knockoffs of the Nike Dunk sneaker, “one of the most iconic and influential sneaker designs of all time,” and unauthorized use “of patterns that confusingly mimic Nike’s iconic Elephant Print design,” according to the complaint filed Dec. 2 in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

Nike alleges that Gnarcotic “made representations” that it would stop selling products that infringe Nike’s intellectual property.

As of the day of filing its ...