Kobe Bryant Battling Pharma Company Over 'Black Mamba'

Kobe Bryant has launched a full-court press to make sure a pharmaceutical company does not exploit his precious "Black Mamba."

According to documents obtained by The Blast, the legal team for Kobe Inc filed to block a company called Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals from registering "Black Mamba HYPERRUSH," a line of ephedra based diet pills.

Hi-Tech filed to secure their name in 2015, and Kobe didn't file his "Black Mamba" paperwork until the following year, but now he is making it clear he is the OG Black Mamba, and giving Hi-Tech a trademark will cause confusion to consumers.

The document describes Kobe as an internationally recognized, famous, recently retired basketball player who is a five-time NBA champion and eighteen-time NBA All Star.

They also rope in Nike, by explaining the shoe company which sponsors Kobe, regularly uses "hyper" in their products, which would also cause confusion with the diet pill.

Hi-Tech responded to Kobe's opposition, calling him a bully and accusing him of overreaching his trademark rights to maliciously block their registration.

The pharma company also says another athlete uses the "Black Mamba" nickname, boxer Roger Mayweather. He trademarked "Roger Black Mamba Mayweather" in 2013, and Hi-Tech claims that alone kills Kobe's argument.

Officials have yet to reach a decision.

Fun Fact: There are actually many other active trademarks for "Black Mamba" that were granted before Bryant filed his paperwork, including Black Mamba fishing lures, cocktails, thermoplastic seals, and condoms.

Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals