Sportbetting vs. French football brand

The European gaming and Betting Association commented that a French court finding last week could call into question over a previous case in which the French Tennis Federation tired to prohibit betting companies to take Internet wagers at the Roland Garros championhips.
The football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) claimed that Bwin and Unibet, sports betting websites, used its trademark and image rights in action of counterfeiting or 'commercial free riding.'

The Paris Tribunal of First Instance, which delivered the judgment on the French Tennis Federation case, rejected all of PSG’s demands against Bwin and Unibet.

“This decision confirms that online sports betting companies are not violating the rights of Paris Saint Germain [football club]. Sports betting are a risk management business that requires specific skills and expertise. It is a complementary activity that goes hand in hand with the activities of sports’ clubs and sports’ events organizers,”
The secretary general of EGBA, Sigrid Ligne said in a statement this week. She added that this outcome confirms the activities of football clubs and online sports betting companies are s distinct commercial activities from those of sports clubs.

Remarking on the club’s claim of commercial free riding, the judge said that the betting websites were not in commercial competition with PSG, as “they organise bets on sports events that are likely to attract consumers betting on football as well as other sports.”

In the PSG case, the judge ruled that there was no other way to advertize without mentioning the name or brands of the participant clubs. The judge rejected PSG’s claim that their trademark had been infringed since the operators’ websites shows highly visible displays of their own marks, advertise a multitude of bets on a range of activities other than football and announce all matches in the same way, there could be no confusion as to the origin of the service offered by the gaming operators.

Casino News: Sportbetting vs. French football brand

Sportbetting vs. French football brand