Not a Ball, But a Brand
Of course, this time it wasn’t about a football, but about a brand. The Spaniards applied for European registration of a clothing trademark that consists of the word JUUMPREMIUM with a logo of a “J” above it. But that’s way too close to our logo, protested Juventus, and filed an opposition. Juventus, of course, has also registered its trademark for clothing.
No confusion
However, the Opposition Division of the European Trademark Office (EUIPO) believes that the Spanish trademark should be allowed its registration. Visually and aurally, there are significant differences between the trademark, mainly due to the word element “JUUMPREMIUM,” said EUIPO. Despite the fact that both trademarks will be used for clothing, these differences will prevent consumers from being confused, according to EUIPO. On August 28, Juventus was informed that it lost the case and was ordered to cover the costs. Had the Spaniards only registered their stylized “J,”, without the word JUUMPREMIUM, the outcome might have been different.
But hey, this is surely a huge moral boost for the Dutch soccer team PSV, after its painful defeat two weeks ago. Back to reality Juventus, you can’t expect to win everything with ease!
Bas Kist
Banner image by Maria Bobrova on Unsplash
