Nike Still Owns Rights to Kawhi Leonard’s ‘Claw’ Logo

Nike Inc. owns NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard’s “Claw” logo because their collaboration on the design was the “whole point” of their contract, an Oregon federal court said Monday.

Expanding on his April ruling in Nike’s favor, Judge Michael W. Mosman said the logo was distinct from a design that Leonard created before signing with Nike and was subject to an intellectual property clause in their endorsement deal.

The court also said Leonard breached the agreement’s forum-selection clause by suing Nike in California instead of Oregon.

Leonard said he designed the logo—a combination of his hand, initials, and jersey number—at some ...