Lionel Messi wins case to trademark his own name

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Lionel Messi has fought and won a seven-year fight to be able to use his name on sports goods. His original application was filed before the European Union Office for Intellectual Property (EUIPO) in 2011 and challenged by the Spanish cycling brand, Massi, on the basis that the names were too similar and would cause confusion.

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EUIPO ruled against Messi, saying the names were similar, because their dominant elements, "consisting of the terms 'Massi' and 'Messi', are almost identical visually and phonetically". The court stated that only some people would be aware the two were different.

But the General Court, the EU's second highest court, disagreed and stated that "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," the court said.