Lionel Messi wins court battle to use name as trademark

Lionel Messi

Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi won a legal battle yesterday to register his name as a trademark to sell sports goods after an EU court ruled that he is too famous to be confused with other businesses.

The Argentine star, the world's highest earning footballer, rode out a challenge by a Spanish cycling gear manufacturer called Massi, which had challenged his trademark on the grounds that it was too similar to its own. "Lionel Messi may register his trade mark 'MESSI' for sports equipment and clothing," said a ruling by the General Court of the European Union, the bloc's second-highest court.

"The football player's fame counteracts the visual and phonetic similarities between his trade mark and the trade mark 'MASSI' belonging to a Spanish company," said the Luxembourg-based court. The ruling caps a seven-year legal fight since the footballer first tried in 2011 to trademark his name at EU's intellectual property office.

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