A Dutch company is hoping that it has delivered a knock-out blow to Conor McGregor’s hopes of registering his name as a brand across the EU.
This follows lawyers for McGregor IP B.V calling on an EU appeals board to uphold the decision of the EU trademark office rejecting the MMA fighter’s attempt to register his name as a trademark across the EU.
As the three-year brand war between Mr McGregor’s McGregor Sports & Entertainment Ltd (MESL) and Dutch company, McGregor IP B.V enters the final round, the Holland-based company has called on the Board of Appeal to reject the arguments put forward by Mr McGregor’s firm around the disputed ‘Conor McGregor’ brand.
In February of this year, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) turned down the trademark application by the Dubliner’s McGregor Sports & Entertainment Ltd for ‘Conor McGregor’ following an objection by McGregor IP B.V.
The Dutch company sells clothing and accessories under the ‘McGREGOR’ brand and told the EUIPO that consumers might believe that goods sold by Conor McGregor’s firm are part of products marketed by the company. EUIPO refused the Conor McGregor application for the trademark for clothing due to the likelihood of confusion amongst the public concerning the proposed Conor McGregor brand and the DD McGregor brand used by McGregor IP B.V.
However, top European Patent and Trade Mark experts retained by Conor McGregor, FR Kelly appealed the decision to the EUIPO’s Board of Appeal and have told the board that there is no likelihood of confusion between the two.
In response, lawyers for the Dutch company, state that the observations filed and objections raised by FR Kelly “must be dismissed”.
The submission states: “Due to this visual, aural and conceptual similarity that the common distinctive element ‘McGREGOR’ causes, a likelihood of confusion exists.”
Lawyers, Leeway Advocaten state that the Dutch company’s opposition must be upheld in its entirety and the contested trademark application must be rejected.
Content retrieved from: https://www.independent.ie/business/world/eu-urged-to-deny-brand-bid-by-mcgregor-39518528.html.