Appeal
In 2025, EUIPO’s Cancellation Division had already ruled that Michal Was’s registration was invalid. However, the Polish businessman apparently believed he had done nothing wrong and filed an appeal. In doing so, he put forward several interesting—and at times rather amusing—arguments.
Michal Was’s arguments
– I do not know Haaland at all.
– I do not follow football.
– Haaland stands for “High Advanced Activity Land.”
– A famous footballer does not have the exclusive right to a surname.
– Haaland himself did not register his full name, Erling Haaland, as an EU trademark until 2023.
Not acting in Good Faith
Although the Board of Appeal stressed that registering the name of a famous person does not automatically amount to bad faith, it concluded that the specific facts of this case showed that Michal Was had not acted honestly when he applied to register the Haaland trademark.
Free to capitalise on his name
It is unclear whether Haaland himself is even aware of this legal victory. It is unlikely to be a topic of conversation in the Norwegian locker room. Nevertheless, once the World Cup is over, Haaland will no doubt be pleased to have a free hand commercially when exploiting the Haaland brand name.
Bas Kist
Banner photo: froarn / Shutterstock.com (2181747373)
photo: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
