A celebrity steakhouse venture is at the center of a budding trademark battle, as a New York-based sneaker company moves to protect the four-digit mark it says defines its brand. In a newly-filed complaint, as first reported by TFL, 1587 SNEAKERS, INC. is taking on Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and their restaurant 1587 PRIME, among other defendants, alleging that the celebrity-backed brand is not merely using “1587” in connection with its restaurant but also on clothing and related goods, thereby infringing its own numeric mark.
Setting the stage in its complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 17, 1587 SNEAKERS claims that it has used the “1587” mark in commerce since April 2023 in connection with footwear and apparel sold nationwide via its website. The company points to national media coverage and an appearance on Shark Tank as evidence that consumers have come to associate the numeric mark with a single source.
The defendants, for their part, launched “1587 PRIME” in or around September 2025 in connection with a restaurant concept – complete with branded merchandise, including apparel. The company alleges that Kelce and co. ‘have offered their in-person and online patrons various clothing apparel items, all of which wholly adopt and incorporate [1587 SNEAKERS’] ‘1587’ mark.’
1587 SNEAKERS contends that the defendants’ addition of the word “PRIME” to their mark does not distinguish the accused marks in any legally meaningful way and that the “verbatim incorporation” of “1587” is likely to cause confusion among consumers. Going further, 1587 SNEAKERS argues that “had the defendants done some simple due diligence prior to their launch and conducted a public internet search, they would have known [its] mark not only existed, but also obtained national prominence.”
A Dispute Over Overlapping Apparel and Branding
While 1587 PRIME’s core category of operations is restaurant services, not merch, the crux of 1587 SNEAKERS’ federal false designation of origin and unfair competition claims centers on the defendants’ alleged use of “1587” on apparel. In fact, 1587 SNEAKERS carefully positions Kelce and Mahomes’ company as ‘a restaurant and clothing apparel line” and argues that they have “aggressively marketed” the 1587 PRIME brand. In the plaintiff’s view, that direct overlap in product category heightens the likelihood of confusion, particularly given its prior use of the mark in connection with footwear and apparel sold nationwide.
Beyond the apparel at issue, the complaint also points to the broader branding of the 1587 PRIME concept, including Asian-inspired menu items and beverages, which the plaintiff argues places the venture in a similar cultural lane. 1587 SNEAKERS has built its identity around Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. Layer the shared numeric mark onto what it characterizes as overlapping thematic cues, the company contends, and the risk of consumer confusion as to source, sponsorship, or affiliation becomes more than theoretical.
1587 SNEAKERS claims that it sent cease-and-desist letters to the defendants and attempted to resolve the matter prior to filing suit, but that those efforts were unsuccessful. Against that background, the lawsuit seeks injunctive relief barring further use of the accused marks, along with disgorgement of profits, enhanced damages, attorneys’ fees, and other monetary relief.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The dispute will likely turn, in part, on whether adding “PRIME” is enough to distinguish a mark that consists entirely of the plaintiff’s brand – particularly when both parties are using it on apparel. In a landscape where restaurants increasingly double as lifestyle brands, the Southern District of New York will have to decide how far a numeric trademark stretches.
The case is 1587 SNEAKERS, INC. v. Kelce et al., 1:26-cv-01337 (S.D.N.Y.).
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