Different Industries, Same Mark: How Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s New Restaurant is Facing Trademark Infringement

^[1]

In September 2025, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce opened up their own Kansas City restaurant, “1587 Prime;” the name inspired by their NFL jersey numbers.^[2] 1587 Prime is the newest addition to hospitality group, Noble 33, founded by Tosh Berman and Mikey Tanha.^[3] The pair has also launched a clothing brand which sells merchandise related to the restaurant.^[4] While the restaurant has received positive attention from patrons, all this positive attention has led to a recent trademark infringement claim by a New York sneaker company.^[5] “1587 Sneakers Inc.,” a Chinatown-based sneaker company inspired by Asian American culture, has been up and running since 2023.^[6] The sneaker company sued Mahomes and Kelce in February 2026 claiming that their restaurant and apparel brand encroach on the sneaker business’s name, has hurt sales, and taken attention away from their site and company.^[7] 1587 Sneakers further contends that the identical name is “forcing the AAPI company towards the cliff of collapse.”^[8] 

Looking to the 1587 mark specifically, the sneaker company’s name holds historical significance for Asian American culture as it was the year that Asians first came to the United States.^[9] Additionally, the sneaker business has emphasized the name’s importance to this brand by highlighting that it is one of the first sneaker companies that specifically represents the AAPI community and that gives back to the AAPI community by donating portions of its profits to various Asian aid groups.^[10]

Trademark infringement claims are proven if a plaintiff can show that it owns a valid mark, its rights are “senior” to the defendant’s, and the defendant’s mark is likely to cause confusion in the minds of consumers about the source or sponsorship of the goods or services offered under the parties’ marks.^[11] The sneaker business claims that the identical “1587” name is confusing and that New York consumers “actively deceived” by Mahomes and Kelce’s business name, which has resulted in lost profit and exposure.^[12] According to 1587 Sneakers’s attorney, Ezra Salami of Ezra Law, New Yorkers contacting the sneaker business under the mistaken belief  they are calling the 1587 restaurant has resulted in a “measurabl[e] decline” in sales.^[13] The sneaker business further underscores the likelihood of confusion by arguing that both the sneakers and items on the restaurant menu draw from Asian influences.^[14]

1587 Sneakers is seeking monetary damages for lost sales and an injunction to change the name of Mahomes and Kelce’s 1587 Restaurant and apparel.^[15] Neither party has been forward open to making comments about the litigation or specific evidence.[16] For example, Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein and Loeb & Loeb are representing the NFL stars and have not responded to a request from news outlets for a comment.^[17] Ezra Salami, has also declined an ESPN request for evidence to support its claims that the identical names have harmed the plaintiff’s company sales.^[18] Additionally, a publicist for Kelce declined to comment and Mahomes’s representatives also did not respond for a comment.^[19]

Turning to recent procedural events, 1587 Sneakers filed an emergency request on March 2, 2026, asking the court to block the defendants, Mahomes and Kelce, from advertising, selling, or promoting their products using the 1587 name and logo and to temporarily close the restaurant.^[20] U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald refused to sign an emergency request.^[21] Judge Buchwald pointed to two issues with the complaint that led to her rejection of the emergency request: personal jurisdiction and delay of suit.^[22] She further explained that the complaint does not clearly establish that the New York court has personal jurisdiction or that the case properly belongs in that district.^[23] On the other hand, Ezra Salami argued that the Southern District of New York was the proper jurisdiction because the sneaker company’s business is based there and Mahomes and Kelce have done business in the court’s jurisdiction via shipping products from their online store into New York^[24] Judge Buchwald also noted that the plaintiffs, seeking emergency relief, filed their claim far after the restaurant opened in September 2025, over a year later, which poses a significant delay.^[25] Moreover, 1587 Sneakers did not apply for the title trademark until last October and the application is still under review by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ^[26] “1587 Prime,” however, applied for the trademark in December 2023.^[27] Additionally, their trademark is in the bar and restaurant category, and the sneaker company falls under the clothing category.^[28] Despite the claim the marks are too similar, they exist in different classes and trademark protection only extends to the class registered in, which will be a tough case for 1587 Sneakers to prove likelihood of confusion of the two marks.^[29] It will be up to the judge to decide if a restaurant and shoe company are too close in similarities that consumers may likely confuse the two as being affiliated with each other.^[30] 

Lastly, Judge Buchwald noted there was no indication of proper serving of the complaint to the defendants.[31] She did not dismiss the lawsuit but said the court may consider future motions once the defendants are properly served and if jurisdiction is proper.^[32] For now, however, 1587 Prime may remain open and running.[33]

References

^[1]Photo by Mick Haupt, A Kansas Chiefs Flag Flying in Front of a Building, Unsplash, (Feb. 8, 2024), https://unsplash.com/photos/a-kansas-chiefs-flag-flying-in-front-of-a-building-QHiUM55b25U.

^[2] See Merlyn Miller, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ Restaurant Is Now Taking Reservation — Here’s What to Expect, Food & Wine (Sep. 8, 2025), www.foodandwine.com/travis-kelce-patrick-mahomes-restaurant-1587-prime-11805040.

^[3] See id.  

^[4] See id.

^[5] See Isabella Gallo, Chinatown-Based Sneaker Store Sues Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes over Trademark Infringement, amNY (Apr. 2, 2026), www.amny.com/news/chinatown-sneaker-sues-kelce/.

^[6] See id.

^[7] See id.

^[8] See id.

^[9] See id.

^[10] See id.

^[11] See About Trademark Infringement, U.S. Pat. & Trademark Off., (Jan. 28, 2025), www.uspto.gov/page/about-trademark-infringement.

^[12] See Gallo, supra note 6.

^[13] See id. 

^[14] See id. 

^[15] See id.  

[16] See id.

^[17] See id. 

^[18] See Michael Rothstein, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce Sued for Trademark Infringement,” ESPN (Feb. 20, 2026), www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47989230/patrick-mahomes-travis-kelce-sued-trademark-infringement.

^[19] See id.

^[20] See Nick Sloan, Federal Judge Rejects Emergency Bid to Shut down Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes’ 1587 Prime Restaurant, KMBC News (Mar. 4, 2026), www.kmbc.com/article/kelce-mahomes-1587-prime-trademark-lawsuit-temporary-order/70613323. 

^[21] See id.  

^[22] See id.

^[23] See id.

^[24] See Gallo, supra note 6.

^[25] See Sloan, supra note 21.

^[26] See Rothstein, supra note 19.

^[27] See id.  

^[28] See id.

^[29] See id.

^[30] See id.

[31] See Sloan, supra note 21.

^[32] See id.

[33] See id.