- PRIME is a sports/energy drink that was created by Logan Paul and fellow YouTuber KSI in January 2022.
- Paul, KSI and PRIME are being sued by the United States Olympic Committee for allegedly using trademarked Olympic images and expressions.
- PRIME was also sued in April 2024 for allegedly exceeding caffeine levels in their drinks.
Logan Paul has always been a lightning rod for the news, for better or worse. He made his name as a YouTuber, and his current YouTube account has 23.6 million followers. Paul has branched off into wrestling and is the current WWE United States champion.
However, the social media star is in hot waters with the US Olympic Committee regarding his drink Prime:
Paul, the older brother of Jake (who is a businessman, boxer, and will fight Mike Tyson in November), has been promoting the drink heavily. However, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee alleges that PRIME has violated trademark photos and phrases.
PRIME Allegedly Used Olympic Terminology, along with KD Pictures
Paul is actually a co-founder of PRIME, which he runs with fellow YouTuber KSI. But an article in USA Today claims that the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee is suing Paul, KSI, and PRIME for using trademarked images and expressions for promotional purposes.
The article claims that PRIME had been using phrases in their promotional copy such as, “Celebrate Greatness with the Kevin Durant Olympic PRIME drink!”, and “Kevin Durant Olympic Legacy”.
The committee states that they contacted PRIME back on July 10 to ask them to cease, but PRIME didn’t oblige, continuing to advertise on their social channels. There was even a picture of Durant, a member of the US men’s basketball team and the men’s all-time leading Olympic scorer, holding a bottle of PRIME.
As of Monday, July 22, everything had been deleted from the PRIME social channels. However, this hasn’t satisfied the Olympic Committee, which is suing PRIME for all profits linked with this promotional campaign. The committee is also suing for an unrevealed amount in damages. Whatever the number is, it’s surely going to be a big number. This could also be the least of PRIME’s worries for Paul and KSI.
This Isn’t PRIME’s First Brush with the Law in 2024
In April 2024, Senator Chuck Schumer asked the Food and Drug Administration to look into PRIME, which is alleged to have six times the caffeine amount of a Coca-Cola. Schumer claims:
“One of the summer’s hottest status symbols for kids is not an outfit, or a toy − it’s a beverage. But buyers and parents beware, because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets.”
One of Schumer’s assertions is that PRIME is marketing directly to children, with their bright bottles and a very sweet taste. Kids also love it because this is the social-media generation, and they follow both Paul and KSI on YouTube, TikTok, and other social channels. In a business sense, it’s incredibly popular, and to be fair, there is also a PRIME hydration drink that has no caffeine. However, it still contains a lot of sugar.
Of course, Paul is fighting these allegations, stating that there is “zero evidence” of PRIME being unsafe for children.
It’s going to be up to the FDA to determine that, however, so Paul and KSI could be in for a couple battles in the courtroom. It has been said that PRIME is worth somewhere between $3.1 and $8.4 billion, so Paul and KSI may have to dip into that for legal fees in 2024.
