Bouncing Ideas—Three men have filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal court accusing clothing company Russell Brands and its sporting goods subsidiary, Spalding, of ripping off their “fresh” take on basketball design.

Plaintiffs Robert Bertrand and Christian Arendt, of New Jersey, and Kirk Webber, of Pennsylvania, the group behind graphic design firm Bertrand Webber, claim that Spalding approached them in early 2007 for help in updating the look of the traditional basketball.