Opposition
When Haaland himself tried to register his name as a trademark in Europe in 2023, he discovered that Was had beaten him to it – and even filed an opposition against Haaland’s own application.
In response, Haaland launched cancellation proceedings against Was’s mark: I was already world famous in 2022, and Michal Was is simply trying to benefit from my reputation, argued Haaland.
‘I invented it myself’
Was attempted to justify his actions, claiming he had come up with the name himself. According to him, Haaland was a combination of the Polish word hala (meaning “hall”) and the English word land. He also insisted he had never heard of Erling Haaland before, adding that foreign football leagues in Poland are only available via pay-TV channels.
Bad faith
The EUIPO was unconvinced. It found it implausible that Was had never heard of Haaland in 2022, and equally unbelievable that he had “invented” the name himself. The registration was therefore declared invalid for bad faith and removed from the register.
Bas Kist
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