Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce have a restaurant they started started together in Kansas City, and late last week they were sued for copyright infringement by a sneaker company that goes by a similar name.
The lawsuit was reported by several outlets, including ESPN, but it was Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk who had the sharpest take on this lawsuit. He said the lawsuit was generated by “a largely unknown sneaker company to generate some free publicity.”
On to the details. The sneaker company, 1587 Sneaker, began selling shoes in April of 2023, while the restaurant fronted by Kelce and Mahomes is called 1587 Prime and was opened in October of 2025. The sneaker company didn’t apply for a “1587” trademark until October of last year, however, which is two months before 1587 Prime filed a trademarked application in December of 2023.
Confused yet? It gets worse, according to Florio, who’s a lawyer by trade. He pointed out that the companies pursued trademark protections in different categories, with the sneaker companies in what he called the “clothing realm,” with the 1587 Prime trademark focused on bars and restaurants.
But the restaurant also sells clothing, and 1587 Sneakers claims that customers have contacted the company based on the misimpression that it’s affiliated with 1587 Prime the restaurant. Florio also pointed out that that kind of thing helps 1587 Sneaker, but so does the lawsuit, because thousands of people that never heard of the sneaker company now at least know about it.
The ESPN story, which was written by Michael Rothstein, also mentioned that 1587 Sneakers also appeared on “Shark Tank” last year, which lends credence to the “free publicity” theory. The sneaker company declined a request for evidence to support its claim, but 1587 Sneaker’s attorney, Ezra Salami, said it would be produced if the case goes to trial.
Meanwhile, the sneaker company’s co-founder, Adam King, issued a written statement:
"From the onset, we have communicated a sincere belief that there is room for mutual respect and understanding," King wrote. "That belief has not changed, and we continue to hope to resolve this matter amicably."
“Amicably” sounds like code for “write us a check and we’ll go away,” although 1587 Sneaker is also asking for the restaurant group to no longer use the name, and they also want to stop the sale of goods with the name on it. The company also seeks to be awarded “unspecified damages,” according to Rothstein.
A publicist for Kelce declined to comment, and a representative for Mahomes didn’t respond to an ESPN message seeking comment.