Stephen Curry showcased his signature “night, night” celebration after sinking the last of four three-pointers in the final three minutes of Team USA men’s basketball’s 98-87 victory over host country France in the Summer Olympics.
Now, Curry has taken steps to protect this iconic gesture by filing trademark applications in both Europe and the United States for the phrase “nuit, nuit,” which translates to “night, night” in French.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, founder of Gerben IP, reported the news and provided additional details:
“Steph Curry has filed trademark applications in the EU and US to protect ‘NUIT. NUIT.’ The filings, made in the past several days, follow the release of a Fanatics shirt featuring Curry’s image with the words ‘NUIT NUIT’ beneath it.”
Darren Rovell of Cllct added further context, explaining that “Steph Curry’s company, SC30, filed to trademark the phrase ‘Nuit. Nuit’ after Curry used it during the Paris Olympics when Team USA defeated France in the men’s basketball gold-medal game earlier this month.
The trademark was filed in Europe on August 14 and in the United States on August 19, with the intent to use the phrase on apparel.
Steph Curry For Team USA (Photo: Keith Birmingham)
Curry’s filing holds an advantage as he was the first to apply, avoiding the need to wait behind others.”
Curry was spotted wearing a “Nuit, Nuit” hoodie shortly after making the pivotal three-pointer, in which he shot over both Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier.
Mike Fogg, the art director and designer who created the hoodie, shared more about the origins of the design:
“Back in June, I had the incredible opportunity to create custom clothing designs for Stephen Curry for this year’s Paris Olympics—a dream come true. ‘Nuit Nuit’ was born. In English, it’s ‘Night Night.’ In French, it’s…”
Fogg explained to Cllct that the design was initially intended as a one-off creation, not meant for retail. However, the popularity of the phrase led to bootleggers and official Team USA licensees, such as Fanatics, using it on merchandise.
Given the widespread use of the phrase, it’s understandable why SC30 would move to secure the trademark. For now, Curry can savor the moment as the four-time NBA champion looks ahead to his 16th professional season.
