April 18, 2013
CrossFit HQ General Counsel Dale Saran explains why a local throwdown is not a “CrossFit competition.”
CrossFit’s growth has produced a number of interesting side effects, most of them positive.
One byproduct of CrossFit’s spread and the continued business success of CrossFit affiliates has been the growth of the Sport of Fitness. This has significant consequences for CrossFit Inc.’s intellectual property, all CrossFit affiliates and the entire CrossFit community.
There is a significant amount of confusion about the use of the CrossFit trademark and the distinction between “CrossFit the strength-and-conditioning program” and “CrossFit the Sport of Fitness.” As a result, Internet geniuses spout off about what the confusion means for the trademark, companies advertise “CrossFit” competitions, and many affiliates and athletes remain unaware that an issue even exists.
It’s important to remember that CrossFit was a company and then a registered trademark before it ever became a sport, and the only CrossFit competitions are those directly organized and authorized by CrossFit HQ, such as the events of the CrossFit Games season and out-of-season events such as the CrossFit Invitational.
There’s a difference between playing baseball in your back yard and playing second base in Major League Baseball, just as there’s a difference between doing Fran in your garage and doing Fran at the Home Depot Center during the CrossFit Games.