Jeff Jarrett & Global Force Entertainment File Lawsuit Against Anthem

The parent company of IMPACT Wrestling, Anthem Sports, has come under fire today as it has been revealed via PWInsider that WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett and his Global Force Entertainment company have filed lawsuit against Anthem for copyright infringement.

Global Force Entertainment, which was founded back in 2014, entered into an agreement with Anthem in early 2017 after Jarrett returned to IMPACT Wrestling that saw IMPACT assume the Global Force Wrestling (Entertainment) name. However, Jarrett would leave IMPACT officially on October 23rd of 2017 which effectively ended the relationship with Global Force.

The lawsuit alleges that Anthem violated state and federal trademark infringements, Jarrett’s exclusive property rights to his name and likeness, as well as Anthem using “a reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable imitation of the GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING and GFW trademarks”. Additionally, the suit claims Anthem “caused products and/or services to enter interstate commerce designated with variations”, used “a reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable imitation of the GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING and GFW trademarks” and that Anthem was involved in “Unfair Competition in Violation of Tennessee Common Law” where “GFE and Defendants compete for a common pool of customers. As alleged herein, Defendants have engaged in unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent conduct, which is likely to cause, if it has not already, customer confusion in violation of Tennessee common law”.

On top of that, the lawsuit alleges that initial talks with Anthem to merge together with GFW included “membership and equity in Anthem Sports” that would have seen Jarrett become the Chief Creative Officer. Jarrett also “Upon information and belief, Defendants continue to monetize the GFW Amped content as pay-per-view, premium television, streaming, and other viewing options on a worldwide scale”.

Basically, Jarrett and Global Force claim that Anthem is still making money off of the company despite himself and the deal being terminated. It should be noted that IMPACT’s website is still selling Global Force Wrestling DVD while Anthem does not have license to distribute the content. Jarrett is seeking an court injunction that would prevent Anthem/IMPACT Wrestling from using any GFW content in any manner, including “but not limited to, Global Wrestling Network, GWN, and the GWN logo”.

Jarrett and Global Force are seeking “an award of punitive and/or treble damages for at least three times the amount of Defendants’ profits or GFE’s damages, whichever is greater, due to the nature of Defendants’ wanton and willful conduct” and have also requested a jury trial.

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