Trademark conflict results in Entain's defeat at the EUIPO
In a surprising twist, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has given a big L to Entain, refusing to halt Sportbet**'s trademark registration for gambling and entertainment services[1].
You might be wondering why the heck this happened. Well, here's the lowdown. Entain, the bigwig owning the Sportingbet brand, believed that Sportbet S.R.L.'s logo would confuse consumers due to its similarity to their own[2]. However, the EUIPO begged to differ. They Figured the terms "sport" and "bet" are as common as your average beer at a football game in the gambling world, lacking the oomph needed for Entain to claim exclusive territories[1][3].
Imagine that! The EUIPO said these words are too generic and ordinary to be trademarkable. I know, I was as shocked as you are!
Now, Entain tried to pull a fast one by claiming that Sportingbet has a signature style recognized across the EU, but the EUIPO was having none of it. They called out the evidence provided as promotional material, uncorroborated, and even added that numbers from the UK were outta whack post-Brexit[2].
Entain also attempted to bring up unregistered rights in several EU countries, but the office told them to take a hike, explaining that Entain had failed to prove the mark's popularity outside of local markets[2].
As a result, their opposition was denied, and they were left with a bill for €300 in legal costs for Sportbet[2]. Guess passing Go didn't pay off this time, huh Entain?
[1] - [Source 1][2] - [Source 2][3] - [Source 3][4] - [Source 4]
The gambling industry is closely monitored by financial regulators, and this incident serves as an example. Despite Entain's attempt to halt Sportbet's trademark registration for gambling and entertainment services, the EUIPO rejected their claim on grounds that the terms "sport" and "bet" are too common in the business, making them generic and not trademarkable.
