Super League files EUTM application for new logo
The newly announced European Super League has filed an EU trademark application for the name and logo of the breakaway football tournament.
The European Super League Company, incorporated in Spain, filed the application for a figurative mark at the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on Friday, April 16.
Florentino Pérez, president of Spanish league champions Real Madrid, will serve as the first chairman of the Super League, which includes 12 clubs, including six from the Premier League.
The application covers a logo featuring the name of the new league and an image of a centre-circle on a football pitch.
At the time of publication, it appears the new league has yet to file a trademark application at the US Patent and Trademark Office or the UK Intellectual Property Office. The European mark was filed by the Spanish offices of law firm Clifford Chance.
Trademark competition?
A search for the ‘Super League’ on the EUIPO’s trademark register returns results including a registered word mark for ‘European Super League’ owned by an individual in Germany.
The Betfred Super League is also the name of the top-level rugby league competition, containing 12 clubs from England and France. WIPR has contacted the rugby league for comment regarding the European Super League’s trademark application.
EUIPO records show that a Germany-based individual, Norbert Graf, registered a word mark for the ‘European Super League’ in 2019. That mark covers clothing, headgear, and footwear in class 25, as well as training, education, publishing, and reporting in class 41.
The newly filed European Super League mark covers a wide range of goods and services, including in classes 25 and 41.
Legal action underway
The Super League announcement has been met with condemnation from prominent media analysts, as well as FIFA, UEFA, and the national leagues where the 12 clubs currently play.
Those leagues and governing bodies have pledged to try and block the breakaway league, but the Super League’s founders say they have initiated legal action to protect themselves against any such measures.
The Associated Press (AP) has reported that the Super League clubs have warned UEFA and FIFA that they have begun legal action to ensure the smooth founding of the new tournament.
“We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions,” said a letter from the Super League clubs to UEFA’s and FIFA’s presidents.
“Your formal statement does, however, compel us to take protective steps to secure ourselves against such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardise the funding commitment under the Grant but, significantly, would be unlawful. For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the competition in accordance with applicable laws.”
Those relevant courts were not named in the letter, AP reported.
Major European clubs including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain have said they are not taking part in the proposed breakaway.
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