An Elk Grove man is getting pushback from a large sportswear apparel company after he applied to trademark the name of his Christian-based clothing line.
Duane Wilborn is the founder of a clothing company called, “Armour OG”. The ‘OG’ stands for “Of God,” Wilborn explained.
Wilborn says he received a 185-page opposition letter from Under Armour after he submitted his trademark application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“I just told them it's a word from King James Bible – it doesn't sound like you guys. It's Christian directed – there's really no conflict,” Wilborn responded.
According to Wilborn, he hadn’t heard of the big name brand before.
“I’m just a startup company,” he said. “I've sold very few shirts, and I actually started this as a hobby because I wanted to wear the clothing.”
Wilborn explained that in Ephesians 6:11 in the King James Bible, ‘armour’ is spelled with a ‘u’.
“At the end of the day, we're not trying to do anything to infringe on Under Armour's business,” Wilborn added. “I don't think we overlap at all. I’m hoping we can work it out where I can sell my Christian-based clothing, and they can keep making their billions.”
Former Assemblyman Mike Gatto, a friend of Wilborn, tweeted a letter he sent to Under Armour:
Wilborn says he recently hired an attorney to figure out how to move forward in defending his brand's name.
ABC10 reached out to Under Armour for a statement but has not received a response yet.