It’s no secret that the number 12 is important to the Seattle Seahawks. The team refers to fans as 12s, raises a 12th Man flag before every home game and sells a ton of merchandise emblazoned with the number 12. A new lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, claims the Seahawks are trying to “obtain a monopoly” on the number 12, and have engaged in a pattern of harassment against “legitimate owners of trademarks with some connection to the number.” The plaintiff, PBTM LLC, wants to invalidate several of the Seahawks’ trademarks, arguing its 12-related marks predate those… Read More
Just days after laying off more than 100 employees, high-tech football helmet maker Vicis announced Monday that the board of the Seattle startup has voted to place the company into receivership. The action is Vicis’ attempt to find a buyer and satisfy its debts. When a company is placed in receivership, a trustee is legally appointed to oversee its assets and business operations. “This is a difficult but necessary step that gives us the best opportunity to secure a buyer for the company with the goal of ensuring maximum return to shareholders,” Vicis Board Chairman Bruce Montgomery said in a… Read More
Seattle startup Vicis officially eliminated the jobs of more than 100 employees on Friday, including its interim CEO, in the latest sign of problems at the high-tech football helmet maker. Previously, the company had furloughed employees, putting a majority of its 110-person staff on temporary leave while its board explored options including a potential sale. But in an employee webinar on Friday, the company informed employees that they are being officially let go, GeekWire has learned. It’s the most significant sign of problems yet at the startup, which has abruptly run out of cash after raising more than $85 million… Read More
Inside the lobby of Vicis‘ headquarters in Seattle this week, floor-to-ceiling images on the walls showed young football players wearing the company’s high-tech helmet. A portrait of former Seattle Seahawks star Doug Baldwin loomed behind a reception desk. The slogan “Protect the Athlete, Elevate the Game” was stenciled next to a lighted display case with two helmets. But it was unusually quiet. Not much work was getting done. That’s because Vicis recently furloughed a majority of its 110-person team, leaving a skeleton crew of 12 employees this week. Now the fate of the company is in the air. The one-time… Read More
The National Football League is turning to Amazon’s cloud technologies as it looks to improve the safety of its players. The NFL and Amazon Web Services today announced a new partnership to learn more about what contributes to player injuries — including game rules, equipment, rehab, and recovery strategies — and how to prevent them. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and AWS chief Andy Jassy made the announcement at Amazon’s AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas on Thursday. “There are very few relationships we get involved with where the partner and the NFL can change the game,” Goodell said on stage.… Read More
