Nike Goes After Small Succulent Business Due To Similarity In The Name 'Just Succ It'
A California-based small business owner of a succulent company “Just Succ It” is facing a cease-and-desist order from sports apparel giant Nike for being too similar to its famous slogan “Just Do It.”
Andrea Galbreath took to TikTok to explain her situation and ask for legal help. One of the videos she posted about the cease-and-desist letter reached 2.1 million viewers.
“Tell Nike to leave me alone! I don’t have the money to fight something like this,” Galbreath said on TikTok.
Galbreath has been using “Just Succ It” for her business since July 2020, and officially became the trademark owner of the name on Jan. 4. 2021.
Nike, which is known for coming after any business that uses the words “just” and “it,” filed the order on Jan. 18. 2022, according to Galbreath’s TikTok.
She claims her business and business name does not disrupt Nike’s business in any way because she sells plants, which are completely different from what Nike markets to its customers.
Nike stated in the letter that it doesn’t want its customers to confuse Galbreath’s products with Nike products, according to NBC News, which obtained the letter.
“Nobody has ever, ever considered my small business to be remotely similar to Nike," Galbreath told NBC News in an interview.
"They've never thought of the name, because when people hear 'Just Succ It,' they're 'SUCK.' They're not thinking, 'SUCC,' and they're certainly not thinking the word 'do.' It's such a huge stretch," she added.
Nike noted that it would give Galbreath “reasonable time” to switch the name of her business and requested a response by Feb. 4, although Galbreath does not plan on giving up that easily.
"It's mine. I plan on using it until I can't. The cease-and-desist is just a letter. It's not an order from the court. It's a bullying tactic that they're sending to me to look scary,” Galbreath told NBC news.
"That could ruin a small business, and that's why they do that, because they know that most small businesses are not going to try to fight a corporation like them," she added.
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