Lionel Messi Wins EU Trademark Battle For Messi Brand
FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has won a seven-year fight against similar-sounding Spanish brand Massi to be able to use his name on sports goods. Messi's application to trademark his name was made to the European Union Office for Intellectual Property (EUIPO) in 2011.
Lionel Messi Wins Fight To Register Himself As Trademark
Messi is now able to register a trademark under his name. The EU court said that his fame made it unlikely his label would be confused with Massi. The cycling brand, headquartered outside of Barcelona, lodged a complaint against Messi to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), saying his name was too similar to theirs.
Lionel Messi has won an EU court case, meaning that he can register the attached MESSI logo as a EU trademark. The Barca midfielder had appealed an earlier decision in favour of Spanish clothes and bike equipment company MASSI, who argued it would confuse their customers. pic.twitter.com/aS9WfEYYiy
— James Crisp (@JamesCrisp6) April 26, 2018
“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,” the General Court of the European Union, the bloc’s second highest court, said in a statement Thursday.
“EUIPO is wrong to conclude that the use of the trade mark ‘MESSI’ for sports and gymnastics clothing, equipment and protective equipment and instruments could create a likelihood of confusion with the trade mark ‘MASSI’ on the part of consumers,” it said.
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Morecambe 26-27 Home & Away Kits Released
Morecambe FC have officially launched their new 26-27 home and away kits, produced by Surridge Sports. The club received massive backlash for posting AI images for the launch, and later posted a clearer CAD of the home shirt.
The home shirt features the club's traditional red color palette with black detailing, while the away kit introduces a bold combination of purple and yellow. Both designs incorporate modern elements to provide a fresh look for the upcoming National League North campaign.
The new Surridge Sports Morecambe 2026-27 jerseys are currently available for pre-order through the club's official online store.
Puma Kits Keep Ripping at the 2026 World Cup
Puma is facing significant criticism at the 2026 World Cup as multiple national team jerseys have easily ripped during matches.
Incidents involving players from Czechia, Morocco, Egypt, and Paraguay have highlighted an ongoing durability issue with the brand's latest kits - every torn shirt in the tournament so far belongs to a Puma-sponsored team.
The Puma 2026 World Cup kits incorporate the latest version of PUMA's ULTRAWEAVE “Thermoadapt” technology, which obviously is not tear-resistant enough.
The recurring wardrobe malfunctions have resulted in terrible PR for the German sportswear manufacturer and even prompted the viral resurgence of Xherdan Shaqiri's infamous quote from Euro 2016, where he joked that he hopes Puma does not produce condoms.
