The new F1 (FWONK) logo, created by Wieden & Kennedy (created Just Do It for NKE), may be infringing on a pan-European trademark (and potentially trademarks in 10 other countries) registered to 3M (MMM). The new logo representing a “race track”, looks eerily like the logo used by Futuro (compression tights) to represent a “stylized knee joint”. The purpose of the FWONK rebrand, which cost an estimated $1 million, was to create a logo that would be optimized for digital platforms and merchandising; with the intention of launching the new clothing line at the season opener in March, a plan that may now need to be altered. 3M has not yet opposed FWONK’s trademark registration, but is “looking in to this matter further.”
Howie Long-Short: 3M (formerly Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company) owns Scotch tape, Scotch-Brite and Post-It Notes (among others); and sells more than 55,000 products. In 2016, the company generated $30.1 billion in revenue; 17x what FWONK brought in. FWONK could pay MMM for the rights to continue using the logo, but that decision would likely draw pushback from the teams; as the expense would reduce their prize pool. Alternatively, FWONK could choose to use one of the other 2 logos it applied for trademarks on; or simply revert to the old logo (the fan choice).
Fan Marino: F1 fans may not love the new logo, but they should be excited about David Hill participating in the production of F1 race broadcasts. Hill “will oversee the graphics package and the way the race is televised”. Fans may not recognize Hill’s name, but if they watch the NFL on Fox they’ll recognize some of his work; including the score bug and first-down graphics. He’s also credited with launching Fox Sports, building the Fox Sports network of RSNs (recently sold to DIS) and won an Emmy for producing the 2011 World Series. Great hire!
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