DC Comics Forces NBA To Scrap Plans For Krypto-Nate T-Shirts

Intellectual Property Issues Bar NBA From Selling "Krypto-Nate" T-Shirts

The NBA last month announced plans to release a green "Krypto-Nate" T-shirt to honor Knicks G Nate Robinson winning the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend, but the league "scrapped its plan because of intellectual property issues with DC Comics, the originator of the Superman comic books," according to Marc Berman of the N.Y. POST. An NBA source indicated that the league is "now looking to involve DC Comics in future Krypto-Nate endeavors." The source said the league "decided not to release the Krypto-Nate T-shirt because of future initiatives we are working on with Warner/DC Comics." The NBA "instead released a generic Robinson T-shirt containing only Robinson's name and status as the 2006 and 2009 Slam-Dunk champion." The NBA also had made Robinson's "green Spalding ball he used on his leap over [Magic C Dwight] Howard available for auction on its Web site." Meanwhile, Robinson said that he and Howard are "planning to do commercials together with the Krypto-Nate/Superman theme." It is "unknown if DC Comics will be involved" (N.Y. POST, 3/2).

MISTAKEN IDENTITY: In N.Y., Howard Beck noted since February 13, @NateGreat, a Twitter page dedicated to Robinson, has been sending tweets about “everything from the slam-dunk contest (which Robinson won) to video games (which Robinson loves) to Pac-10 basketball (he played at Washington).” But while the tone and content “were convincing,” Robinson “was not, in fact, the one at the keyboard.” Twitter “suspended the account” after it was discovered by blogger Nate Jones, who does work for Aaron and Eric Goodwin, Robinson’s agents. The page “has since been restored, with all tweets still there, but under the name NotNateGreat” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/1).