Who is Mirjam Poterbin? Luka Doncic’s mom and previous owner of her son’s trademark
The Mavericks star is a shoe in for this year’s MVP award, but off the court he’s only recently ended a long running legal battle with his own mother, which is to say not a good look at all.
By now, you’ve probably heard of the recently ended legal battle between Dallas Mavericks star, Luka Doncic, and his mother for control of the trademark of his name. Now, while we’re sure you’ve seen plenty about the standoff, perhaps you don’t know so much about who the woman herself is. Let’s dive in.
Who is Luka Doncic’s mother, Mirajm Poterbin?
Born in 1976, Mirjam Poterbin has been a staple a staple in her son Luka Doncic’s rise to basketball stardom from the very beginning. Though she had a modeling career and even participated in the Miss Slovenia show of 1993, it would be her son’s future that took her focus. Indeed, following Luka’s birth in 1999 Poterbin and her then husband Sasa Doncic - also a professional basketball player - started to experience difficulty between them. Sadly, the couple would separate when Luka was only nine years-old and with that full custody went to his mother.
Following her time as a model, which also included a stint hosting the popular television show, “Wheel of Fortune,” Poterbin began managing a beauty salon alongside her mother. Yet, it would be her son’s future career that would eventually take center stage. Investing most of her time in her son’s budding career as basketball player, she began to manage his business of the court from the time he hit his teenage years and continued to do so into his professional years. In recent times, her social media profiles have suggested that she has returned to modeling while participating in entrepreneurial activities. Poterbin has often been a fixture at Mavericks games, screaming her son’s name from the sidelines in fierce support.
What’s the deal with Mirjam Poterbin’s battle against son Luka Doncic?
If you find that last line from the previous paragraph confusing, don’t worry you’re not the only one. How can it be that the 49-year-old former model is duking it out with her own son in court, while supporting him on the basketball court? According to reports, the core of the feud lies in the trademark of her son’s name, “Luka Doncic 7,” which she herself owns. After Doncic filed a petition to cancel the trademark and subsequently failed, he then applied to file another trademark under his name with the title “Luka Doncic 77.” Unfortunately, it was also denied.
With regards to the reasoning behind those denials, it is understood that examiners believe Doncic’s trademark could result in confusion for consumers due to the existence of his mother’s brand. As per the filing, Doncic raises the point that “upon information and belief,” his mother does not use the logo in the U.S.A., nor is she show any intent to resume usage of the logo. Further to that, the Mavericks star has also cited the idea that he has no association with the trademark anymore.
What is Mirjam Poterbin’s position?
As you probably already guessed, Poterbin has given no indication that she’s willing to budge. The former model recently filed a motion to see her son’s petition dismissed, which is of course in keeping with the fact that she has written consent from her son, authorizing the use of the mark - filed and registered in 2018 - on goods and services. Further to that, Luka again tried in September gone to file a petition to cancel his mother’s registered trademark for the aforementioned “Luka Doncic 7″ brand, explaining that he is in no way affiliated or associated with his mother nor the goods/services that she continues to offer. Needless to say, Poterbin pushed back. In a written statement that she released a written statement on Slovenian television in which she sated the following:
“Everything that is written comes from people who surrounded Luka in the last two years and want complete control over his life and career. I don’t want to wash dirty laundry in public, especially at a time when Luka needs to be collected and focused on the important matches ahead of him,” Poterbin wrote. “From the moment he was born, the only thing that mattered to me was that Luka was happy and that he was allowed to follow his dreams, which is normal for every mother,” she continued. “Threats from people who want to take advantage of my son, including me by writing articles like this at the least convenient time for Luka, will not reach me alive. I will always stand behind protecting my son and I will never deviate from that.”
What’s the situation between Luka Doncic and his mother now?
As per reports, the long-standing legal feud finally came to an end this past December, when Doncic terminated his petition against his mother. Apparently, content to move forward with his own brand, he stated, “I have a lot to look forward to as I continue to grow as a player and a person and it’s important to me to control my own brand and focus on giving back to my communities.” Ultimately, whatever the case is off the court, it doesn’t seem to have effected Doncic on it. Watch this space.