Palm trees frame a large billboard showing a Nike advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick at Union Square in San Francisco.Eric Risberg/The Associated Press
Colin Kaepernick may be the face of a recently unveiled Nike campaign, but he’s taking steps to protect who can capitalize on his likeness.
Kaepernick, whose new ad was released as part of the company’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” ad campaign, has filed for a trademark for a black-and-white image of his face and hair, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
The filing, made through Kaepernick’s company, Inked Flash, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claims the image would be used for various commercial items along with things such as classes and seminars and even TV and movies.
The Nike campaign, which Kaepernick tweeted out, uses a different black-and-white image – a close-up of the quarterback’s face – and the words, “Believe in something. Even it if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it.”
Kaepernick, who began kneeling in protest of racial injustice during the U.S. anthem in August of 2016, is entering a second NFL season without being on a roster and has an active collusion grievance against the NFL. That case cleared a hurdle in August when the league’s request to dismiss the grievance was rejected. A trial hearing that requires testimony from NFL owners could happen at some point in the future.