Lionel Messi has won the right to register
his name as a trademark to sell sports
equipment and clothing.
The Argentine footballer’s application to
trademark his name was made in 2011. His
application was made to the European
Union Office for Intellectual Property
(EUOIP).
The EUOIP brought to light that the brand
name was visually and phonetically similar
to a Spanish bicycle clothing brand.
The
respective names are “Messi” belonging to
the Argentine footballer and “Massi”
belonging to the Spanish bicycle clothing
brand.
The EUOIP argued that the similarities of
both would stir up confusion. Initially their
stand was upheld, Lionel Messi then
appealed this. In 2014, Messi’s appeal was
dismissed.
In an appeal made to the EU general court
in 2018, the court disagreed with the initial
ruling ultimately giving Lionel Messi rights
to his trademark.
The court said “The football player’s fame
counteracts the visual and phonetic
similarities” with Massi.
“Mr Messi is, in fact, a well-known public
figure who can be seen on television and
who is regularly discussed on television or
on the radio,”
Lionel Messi Feats
Lionel Messi is one of the best footballers
of all time. He plays for both his National
team -Argentina and FC Barcelona. He has
won various awards; six Ballon d’Or award,
six European Golden Shoes. For his club,
he has 33 trophies, 10 La Liga titles, 6
Copa del Rey, and 4 UEFA Champions
League title.
Forbes ranked the Argentine player as the
world’s highest-paid athlete in 2019. Lionel
Messi was among Time’s 100 most
influential people in the world in 2011 and
2012.
Lionel Messi was awarded the Laureus
World Sportsman of the year in February
2020. The player is the first-ever footballer
and also the first-ever team sport athlete to
win the award.
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