Nike files lawsuit against Sega

Nike has filed a lawsuit against Sega of America for its NBA 2K2 commercial, which, Nike claims, is a scene-by-scene re-creation of its 1996 "Frozen Moment" advertisement. The Nike commercial featured Michael Jordan driving to the basket in dramatic fashion as people in different parts of the world watched via their televisions. The Sega ad campaign features in-game footage of the 76ers' Allen Iverson also driving to the basket in similar fanfare.

"We believe the Sega ad has almost no original creative elements that weren't taken in whole or in part from Nike," said Scott Reames, senior communications manager for Nike. "It's rather shocking and disappointing to see another advertiser so blatantly shoplift our intellectual property."

"Sega has seen Nike's press release; however, to our knowledge, we have not yet received an official complaint from the company," said a Sega representative. "Therefore, we cannot discuss this legal issue at this time."

Nike hopes to win a preliminary and permanent injunction against Sega, preventing Sega from running the ad. Nike also hopes to receive compensation for costs and damages. We'll have more on the lawsuit as it develops.