On Thursday December 6th, the U.S. Soccer Foundation (the "Foundation") sued the U.S. Soccer Federation (the "Federation") in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In August, the Federation requested a meeting in which it said it was ending the relationship with the Foundation.
Historically, the Federation president has always sat on the Foundation’s board. During the August meeting, the Federation demanded that the Foundation abandon the name “U.S. Soccer Foundation” and its logos. In the lawsuit, the Foundation is seeking declaratory judgment that it owns the name “U.S. Soccer Foundation” and all related trademarks. The Foundation claims that it has spent $125 million over 25 years building up equity around its name and trademarks. The Foundation's mission it to provide access to soccer around the country to kids. According to Foundation reports, the Foundation served 70,000 kids last year, and expects to reach 100,000 by the end of this school year.
This article was written with contributions from Tim Piscatelli.
