New York Jets Logo Creator Sues Team for Design

The New York Jets are being sued by the man who created their iconic logo.

Nov 12, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in attendance at Allegiant Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The drama around the New York Jets never seems to end. And this time, it might be more of an issue than ever before.

According to TMZ, the Jets are being sued by the man who created one of the teams' logos. Jim Pons filed the lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZ Sports. The lawsuit was filed in New York on Monday.

Pons claimed he made the logo back in the 1970s after working for the team as a film and video director.

His design is now New York's logo. It's the jet plane above the letter "E-T-S," which the team started using again part-time in 2022. The Jets later announced that they'd be using the logo full-time in 2024.

Pons had initially looked happy in a video the team released about him creating the logo. He was smiling and reflected on all it took for him to do that.

However, according to TMZ, his suit was all but pleasant.

"However, in his suit, Pons said he was anything but pleased with the Jets and the NFL -- believing he owns the mark which he says he created outside of the scope of his job with the team ... so now he thinks they owe him some serious compensation for his work."

His issue with the logo is that New York and the NFL are making millions off of it. He's not wrong in that assessment due to advertisements, jersey sales, and other merchandise the team and league make money off of.

Perhaps the Jets will just go back to their old logo, so they don't have to deal with this issue. Pons wants them to do just that, unless they're going to compensate him and he gives them consent to use it.

"The 81-year-old is suing for unspecified damages. He's also asking a judge to order the cancelation of the Jets' trademark of his logo. In addition, he wants a judge to rule that NY can no longer use his logo on their uniforms and merch ... at least not without his consent and compensation."

With the season starting sooner than it might seem, expect New York to figure this out in the foreseeable future. The last thing owner Woody Johnson wants to deal with in a make-or-break year is a lawsuit.

It's also possible that the Jets and the NFL pay Pons what he's looking for to continue using the logo to avoid any issues.